Egyptian TV Presenter, 11 Others Sentenced to Death Over 750kg Drug Trafficking Case

An Egyptian television presenter, Sarah Khalifa, has been sentenced to death by hanging alongside 11 others after a Cairo court convicted them in a major narcotics case involving more than 750 kilogrammes of drugs.
The Cairo Criminal Court found the 12 defendants guilty of forming and operating an organised criminal gang involved in importing raw materials used in the manufacture of synthetic drugs and subsequently trafficking the finished narcotics.

According to state-linked Al-Ahram, nine other defendants in the case were sentenced to life imprisonment, while seven were acquitted.
The case involved 28 defendants in total and has attracted considerable public attention because of Khalifa’s high-profile media career.

Khalifa, 39, is known for presenting the security and crime programme Mission Impossible on Al-Mehwar TV. She also reportedly owned businesses, including a cosmetic surgery clinic and an events company, and had more than two million followers on Instagram.
Throughout the investigation, Khalifa denied the allegations against her, insisting that she was innocent. She reportedly told prosecutors that she had never even smoked a cigarette.

During the court proceedings, Egyptian media reported that the presenter broke down in tears and pleaded for mercy, telling the court that her parents had raised her properly and that she had no reason to turn to drug money.
Prosecutors alleged that the criminal network imported materials from abroad for the production of synthetic narcotics. The materials were allegedly stored in residential properties before being processed into drugs and distributed.
Investigators also said they recovered unlicensed firearms and ammunition in addition to the large quantity of narcotics.

The court’s death sentences are not immediately enforceable. Under Egypt’s legal system, they will undergo the required review process before any execution can take place.

Source: www.firstweeklymagazine.com