Egyptian TV Presenter Sarah Khalifa Sentenced To Death In Major Drug Case.

Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa has been sentenced to death by hanging along with 11 other defendants after a Cairo court found them guilty in a major narcotics case.

The Cairo Criminal Court convicted the group of forming an organised criminal gang involved in obtaining materials used to manufacture synthetic drugs for trafficking. The defendants were also convicted of possessing firearms and ammunition without the required licences.

Khalifa, 39, is known for presenting the television programme Mission Impossible, which focuses on security and crime related issues. She has denied the allegations against her and maintained that she was innocent.

According to reports, authorities investigating the case seized more than 750 kilograms of drugs and raw materials. Investigators also discovered two apartments that were allegedly being used as laboratories for producing synthetic narcotics, along with unlicensed weapons and ammunition.

The court's decision followed consultation with Egypt's Grand Mufti, whose opinion is required in capital punishment cases. However, the Mufti's opinion is advisory and does not legally bind the court. The death sentences are not yet final, as Khalifa and the other convicted defendants have the right to appeal before Egypt's Court of Cassation, the country's highest criminal appeals court.

The case has attracted significant attention in Egypt because of Khalifa's public profile and the scale of the alleged drug operation. The verdict represents a major development in one of the country's high profile recent narcotics cases.

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