Egyptian TV host, 11 others sentenced to death in drug case

An Egyptian court has sentenced television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 others to death for allegedly manufacturing and trafficking narcotics, The Guardian reports.

Khalifa, 39, best known for hosting Mission Impossible, was convicted of forming an organised criminal gang involved in procuring materials for drug production, alongside possession of unlicensed firearms and ammunition, according to the report.

State-linked media said authorities seized more than 750kg of narcotics and raw materials, along with firearms and ammunition, during the investigation.

The Guardian noted that the court also handed Khalifa and her co-defendants five-year prison sentences in a separate case involving the kidnapping and assault of a young man.

The death sentences followed consultation with Egypt’s Grand Mufti and remain subject to appeal.