Female Egypt TV Host Sentenced to Death in Drug Case

A high-profile Egyptian TV host now faces execution in a sweeping narcotics case, the BBC reports. Sarah Khalifa, 39, best known for the crime-focused show Mission Impossible, was sentenced to death by hanging alongside 11 others after a court found them guilty of running a drug operation that imported raw materials and possessed illegal weapons, state media report. Authorities say they seized more than 1,653 pounds of narcotics and gathered electronic evidence and testimony from 20 witnesses.

Khalifa, who also owns a cosmetic surgery clinic and an event planning company and has more than two million Instagram followers, denies any role, saying she's never even smoked a cigarette. "My parents raised me well; they are people who pray, and I don't need drug money," she reportedly told authorities. Nine co-defendants received life sentences and seven were acquitted, Al Jazeera reports. The death sentences were confirmed after the court consulted with Egypt's grand mufti, who issued a legally required religious opinion, the Guardian reports. Khalifa's lawyer says she will appeal.