A glamorous Egyptian TV personality broke down in court and begged for mercy after she was sentenced to death by hanging in a massive drug case, according to local reports.
Sarah Khalifa, 39, reportedly sobbed and screamed that she had “never smoked a cigarette” as a Cairo court handed down the stunning sentence.
“I swear to Almighty God, with the strongest oath, that I have been wronged,” Khalifa reportedly cried out in court, according to CNN.
The television presenter, who has millions of followers online, was among 12 defendants sentenced to death on charges including manufacturing, promoting and trafficking synthetic drugs.
Prosecutors also accused members of the group of illegally possessing firearms and ammunition.
Khalifa is best known in Egypt for presenting “Mission Impossible,” a television program focused on crime and security.
During the dramatic sentencing, she reportedly pleaded with the court for “mercy and humanity” and told judges she was suffering from a tumor.
The death sentences were issued after the court consulted Egypt’s Grand Mufti, the country’s highest Islamic legal authority. The consultation is a required step in Egyptian capital punishment cases.
The ruling is not yet final and can still be appealed.
State-linked newspaper Al-Ahram reported that prosecutors built their case using 20 witness statements along with photographs allegedly showing Khalifa’s involvement in criminal activity.
Authorities claimed the defendants used two apartments as makeshift laboratories where drugs were stored and manufactured.
Investigators ultimately seized more than 750 kilograms — roughly 1,650 pounds — of synthetic narcotics and raw materials allegedly intended for drug production, according to prosecutors.
Nine other defendants were sentenced to life in prison, while seven were acquitted.
Two additional suspects allegedly connected to the operation remain on the run and have been placed on travel bans and watch lists.
Khalifa was arrested in April 2025 as authorities began unraveling what they described as a huge drug operation.
At the time, Egypt’s Ministry of Interior said officers had seized about 200 kilograms of narcotics and raw materials, along with gold jewelry, cash in Egyptian and foreign currencies, and five vehicles.
Authorities alleged those items were proceeds of criminal activity.
Further investigation reportedly pushed the total amount of seized drugs and raw materials beyond 750 kilograms.
Egyptian reports estimated the drugs could have been worth more than one billion in local currency once manufactured and sold.
Khalifa had built a glamorous public image before her arrest.
She has around 2.6 million Instagram followers and frequently uses her social media pages to promote a cosmetic surgery and beauty business.
She also founded the production company Sarah Production, which organized concerts and events in Egypt and Gulf countries.
In 2024, Khalifa appeared in the YouTube program “Sarah and Beka” alongside performer Hamo Beka, interviewing artists and celebrities.
She has also been linked to a beauty center in Cairo’s Agouza district, which she promoted online.
But the drug case is not Khalifa’s only legal problem.
She was also sentenced alongside other defendants to five years in prison in a separate case involving the kidnapping and assault of a young man.
Egypt allows the death penalty for crimes including terrorism, premeditated murder, rape and drug trafficking.
Human rights organizations have repeatedly criticized the country’s use of capital punishment.
Amnesty International has previously accused Egyptian courts of issuing death sentences after what the organization described as “grossly unfair trials.”
The Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms claimed more than 500 death sentences were issued in the country last year, while 23 prisoners were executed.
For Khalifa, the dramatic fall from celebrity TV host and social media star to death-row defendant now hinges on what happens during the appeals process.
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