Egyptian TV presenter Sarah Khalifa was among 12 defendants sentenced to death in Cairo’s major drug case. Here is how the investigation unfolded, what prosecutors alleged, the evidence presented in court and what happened to the other defendants.
The name Sarah Khalifa has dominated Egyptian headlines after a Cairo court sentenced the television presenter to death in one of the country’s closely watched recent drug cases.
But the headline verdict tells only part of the story.
The case involved 28 defendants, allegations of organised drug manufacturing and trafficking, more than 750 kilograms of drugs and manufacturing materials, firearms allegations, witness testimony and digital evidence.
Here is what happened.
What is the Sarah Khalifa drug case?
The case, widely referred to in Egyptian media as the “Grand Drug Case,” centred on allegations that a criminal organisation had been established to obtain materials used to manufacture synthetic drugs, produce the drugs and distribute them.
Prosecutors alleged that the defendants had divided responsibilities among themselves.
Some were accused of obtaining raw materials from outside Egypt, while others were allegedly involved in manufacturing, storing and distributing the drugs.
Investigators also alleged that a residential property had been used to store materials and manufacture drugs.
The case eventually reached Cairo Criminal Court, where 28 people were prosecuted.
What was Sarah Khalifa accused of?
According to the prosecution’s case, Khalifa was accused of being involved in the organisation’s activities.
Egyptian investigative reports alleged that she provided part of the financing for the group’s activities and travelled outside Egypt to meet two other defendants over the purchase and movement of raw materials.
Prosecutors also alleged that she helped facilitate communication between members of the organisation.
These points should be understood as the prosecution’s allegations and evidence presented in the case, rather than claims that should be detached from the court proceedings and presented without attribution.
Khalifa has denied the allegations and maintained her innocence.
How much drugs did investigators seize?
The quantity of material allegedly recovered was one of the most significant aspects of the investigation.
Investigators reported seizing more than 750 kilograms of synthetic drugs and raw materials used in their production.
Authorities also reported finding premises allegedly used for storing materials and manufacturing drugs.
The case also included allegations involving the possession of firearms and ammunition without licences.
What evidence did prosecutors present?
The prosecution did not rely on a single piece of evidence.
According to reports on the case, the referral to trial was supported by statements from 20 witnesses, alongside technical and digital evidence.
The digital material reportedly included messages, photographs and video recordings that prosecutors said documented aspects of the activities attributed to the defendants.
The prosecution also presented the results of the investigation and seizures made during the case.
This combination of witness testimony and documentary, digital and technical evidence formed part of the case presented to the criminal court.
When did the case reach court?
The case developed through an investigation before the defendants were referred to the criminal court.
Egyptian reporting states that the Public Prosecution referred Sarah Khalifa and 27 other defendants to the criminal court in July 2025.
The prosecution accused them of forming an organised criminal group involved in importing materials used to manufacture synthetic drugs, manufacturing and packaging them, and trafficking and promoting them.
The charges also included allegations concerning unlicensed firearms and ammunition.
What happened during the court proceedings?
The case went through multiple stages before the final verdict.
The defence arguments were completed before the court moved toward judgment.
In August 2026, the court referred the papers of Khalifa and other defendants to Egypt’s Grand Mufti for an opinion concerning the death penalty.
That step did not itself constitute the final death sentence.
The Mufti’s opinion is advisory. The court subsequently returned to issue its final judgment.
On September 5, 2026, the Cairo Criminal Court announced its verdict.
What was the final verdict?
The court sentenced:
12 defendants to death by hanging, including Sarah Khalifa.
Nine defendants received life imprisonment.
Seven defendants were acquitted.
That means the final verdict involved all 28 defendants in the case.
The court also ordered penalties involving the seized materials, according to Egyptian court reporting.
Sarah Khalifa’s reaction
Khalifa has maintained that she is innocent.
After the death sentence was announced, reports quoted her insisting that she had never smoked a cigarette and declaring that she was innocent.
Her position stands in contrast to the prosecution’s allegations and the court’s guilty verdict.
That distinction is important: the prosecution presented its case, the defence challenged it, and the court ultimately convicted Khalifa and sentenced her to death.
Was Sarah Khalifa executed?
No.
This is perhaps the most important point for anyone seeing viral posts about the case.
Sarah Khalifa was sentenced to death.
She was not reported as having been executed.
The defendants have the right to challenge the verdict before Egypt’s Court of Cassation, the country’s highest court for criminal cases.
The death sentence therefore remains part of an ongoing legal process.
Read next: [How Egypt’s Death Penalty Works: What Happens After a Court Issues a Death Sentence?]
What happened to the other defendants?
The outcome varied considerably.
Of the 28 defendants:
- 12 received death sentences
- 9 received life imprisonment
- 7 were acquitted
The different verdicts are significant because they show that the court did not impose the same punishment on everyone who was prosecuted.
The death sentences were imposed on 12 defendants after the court considered the case and obtained the Grand Mufti’s advisory opinion.
There was also a separate case
Khalifa’s legal troubles were not limited to the major drug case.
A separate case involving allegations of the kidnapping and assault of a young man was also heard, with Khalifa receiving a prison sentence in that matter.
The separate proceedings reportedly emerged during the wider investigation.
This case should not be confused with the drug trafficking case because it involved different allegations and a separate judgment.
Why the Sarah Khalifa case matters
The case has attracted enormous attention partly because Khalifa is a public figure.
But beyond the celebrity angle, the proceedings raise questions that are relevant to anyone following criminal justice in Egypt:
How are large organised drug cases investigated?
What evidence can prosecutors use to build a case?
Why are some defendants sentenced to death while others receive life imprisonment or are acquitted?
And perhaps the biggest question:
What happens after a death sentence is announced?
For Khalifa, the next major development will be the legal process following the Cairo court’s verdict.
Until that process is exhausted, a death sentence should not be confused with an execution.
The case is therefore not necessarily over—even though the Cairo court has delivered its verdict.
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