Egyptian TV host sentenced to death for running drug trafficking gang

An Egyptian TV presenter faces death by hanging after joining an organised criminal gang that imported chemical ingredients to manufacture and sell illegal drugs.

Sarah Khalifa, 39, was convicted alongside 11 syndicate members after the discovery of drug laboratories hidden inside two homes in Egypt’s capital. She denies the charges and the verdict is subject to appeal.

Khalifa, who is also a social media influencer with 2.5 million Instagram followers, is best known for her work on the popular TV crime show called Mission Impossible.

Her role in the syndicate was revealed after armed officers seized more than 750kg of synthetic drugs as well as raw chemicals, guns and ammunition during raids on two flats in Cairo last year.

According to state newspaper Al-Ahram, the gang was sentenced for “forming an organised criminal gang specialising in procuring materials used in manufacturing narcotics, with the intent to traffic them, and possessing and carrying unlicensed firearms and ammunition”.