Egyptian television presenter Sarah Khalifa and 11 others have been sentenced to death over their alleged role in a drug trafficking network.

The al-haram newspaper reported that the 12 defendants were also fined 500,000 Egyptian pounds ($9,800) by Cairo’s Criminal Court.

The defendants were accused of forming an organised criminal gang “specialising in importing substances used in the manufacture of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking,” as well as possessing firearms without a licence.

Prosecutors noted that the network imported products required for synthetic drug production from abroad, with different individuals responsible for different stages of the process.

While nine defendants were sentenced to life imprisonment, seven others were acquitted.

Ms Khalifa, 39, denied the charges and her lawyer vowed to appeal the death sentence.

The social media influencer was renowned for her TV programme ‘Mission Impossible’ focusing on crime issues. She also runs a beauty clinic leveraging her social media following. 

The latest development adds to the list of death sentences in Egypt in recent years. In 2015, the country issued 492 death sentences and carried out 2023.