Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 others have been sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted of drug trafficking, the BBC reports.
According to the BBC, which cited state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper, Khalifa and her co-defendants were part of a criminal gang which imported ingredients used to make drugs with the intent of selling them. They were also found with illegal firearms and munitions.
Khalifa, 39, is best known for her TV programme Mission Impossible which dealt with crime issues. She has denied the charges.
The BBC reports that nine other defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment, while seven were acquitted.
Her lawyer said she would appeal the death sentence.
The court verdict was first announced last month but was only confirmed after obtaining a religious opinion from the Grand Mufti of Egypt — a legal requirement in death sentence cases.
During trial, authorities said they seized more than 750kg (1,653lbs) of narcotics and raw materials to make them. Twenty witnesses testified, with electronic evidence including conversations and video clips.
When asked about her alleged role last September, Khalifa told the judge she had never seen any drugs until she was photographed with them inside the anti-narcotics authority offices, according to state-run Akhbar al-Youm newspaper.
Amnesty International said in a 2025 report that Egypt recorded 492 death sentences that year, with 23 carried out, noting that some were for crimes that did not amount to intentional killing.
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