Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa and 12 others sentenced to death in drug trafficking case

Egyptian television host Sarah Khalifa and 12 other defendants were sentenced to death by Cairo's Criminal Court on Tuesday in a trial dubbed the "Grand Drug Case".

The court has referred the capital sentences to Egypt's grand mufti, who will deliver a non-binding verdict on 5 September.

The defendants were accused of manufacturing and trafficking synthetic drugs made from imported materials.

Police investigations said the group operated from a property where the narcotics were produced and stored. Authorities also seized more than 750kg of drugs and other materials.

Khalifa, who has over three million followers on Instagram, was arrested in April 2025 on suspicion of drug trafficking and manufacturing. The TV personality's assets, as well as those of her co-defendants, were also frozen.

A court is also expected to deliver a verdict in a sexual abuse trial, in which Khalifa is accused of detaining and sexually assaulting her driver in her apartment.

The TV presenter has denied the allegations, with her lawyer stating that she does not own property in the New Cairo area where the alleged assault took place.

The prosecutions says the assault took place in 2021, with authorities obtaining video evidence of the incident from the defendant's mobile phone after her arrest.