Sarah Khalifa Sentenced to Death in “Major Drug Case,” Joins Egypt’s Notorious Executed Criminals

In a dramatic ruling that stunned the Egyptian public and revived memories of the nation’s most severe criminal trials, the Cairo Criminal Court ordered the referral of media producer and presenter Sarah Khalifa to the Grand Mufti of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The move paves the way for a final death sentence in the case widely known in Egyptian media as the “Major Drug Case.”

From celebrity status to capital punishment

Khalifa’s abrupt fall—from a life defined by fame, luxury, and associations with prominent public figures—to incarceration behind prison walls has left observers astonished. Her case has reignited national attention on a series of high-profile crimes that gripped the Egyptian public and culminated in execution.

Landmark criminal cases ending in execution

Khalifa’s case joins a select group of Egyptian judicial proceedings that have ended with the death penalty and entered the country’s modern legal history:

• Raya and Sakina (1921): Historically the most infamous case, involving the luring, murder, robbery of jewelry, and burial beneath floorboards of 17 women in Alexandria. They became the first two women executed in modern Egyptian history.
• Aziz Hanafi — “The Emperor of Al-Nakhila” (2004): Leader of an armed gang who dominated an entire village in Asyut through narcotics and arms trafficking. He was captured during an intensive security operation and executed in 2006.
• Ramadan Mansour — “Al-Turbini” (2006): A serial killer who terrorized society by targeting street children, assaulting them, and then killing them. His execution was carried out in 2010.
• The murderer of Naira Ashraf (2022): A crime captured on camera at the gate of Mansoura University. Judicial authorities swiftly affirmed and implemented the death sentence against perpetrator Mohamed Adel in 2023.

As the public awaits the Grand Mufti’s formal opinion and the court’s final verdict scheduled for 5 September, attention remains fixed on the concluding phase of Sarah Khalifa’s trial — a case now inscribed among those marking Egypt’s stark judicial transitions from celebrity spotlight to the execution platform.