CAIRO (LAHORE MIRROR) — An Egyptian court has sentenced 12 people, including television host Sarah Khalifa, to death after finding them guilty in a case involving the manufacture and trafficking of illegal drugs.
According to Arab media reports, the defendants were accused of being part of an organised criminal network involved in importing raw materials, manufacturing narcotics and distributing them through the local market.
Khalifa denied the allegations against her during court proceedings. However, the court found the defendants guilty after examining evidence presented by the prosecution and handed down death sentences.
Investigators told the court that authorities had seized more than 750 kilogrammes of illegal drugs, along with substantial quantities of materials allegedly intended for use in manufacturing narcotics.
Egypt’s state-owned Al-Ahram reported that the accused were allegedly connected to a criminal syndicate that brought raw materials into the country from abroad before producing and selling drugs.
Authorities also recovered weapons and ammunition during the investigation, according to the report.
The prosecution presented testimony from 20 witnesses during the trial. The evidence submitted to the court also included electronic material, such as recorded conversations and video footage allegedly exchanged between members of the group.
The case has attracted considerable attention in Egyptian media because of Khalifa’s profile as a television personality and the scale of the alleged drug operation.
The death sentences remain subject to Egypt’s legal procedures and review before they can be carried out.
