TV presenter Sarah Khalifa and 27 others face charges of forming and managing a transnational organized crime group to import, manufacture, and traffic synthetic drugs.
The Public Prosecution representative demanded that defendants in the case be sentenced to the maximum penalty during Thursday’s session.
The Public Prosecution asserted that the evidence and investigations revealed widespread criminal activity aimed at generating enormous profits at the expense of public health.
The Cairo Criminal Court is reviewing reports from forensic medicine and the technical committees that examined the seized items, in preparation for issuing a verdict after the completion of arguments and the hearing of defense requests.
Investigations revealed that the criminal gang used a residential property as a base for preparing, mixing, and manufacturing narcotics before distributing them within the country.
They relied on a network of individuals whose roles were divided between financing, coordination, procuring raw materials, and facilitating their entry into the country.
Case documents revealed that security forces successfully dealt a significant blow to the gang, seizing over 750 kilograms of narcotics and raw materials used in manufacturing, along with tools and equipment used in the mixing and preparation processes.
The Public Prosecution accused Khalifa of playing a key role in financing the group’s activities, asserting that she traveled abroad to coordinate with foreign elements linked to the criminal network.
During the investigation, the defendant denied any knowledge of the group’s criminal activities, while her defense argued that the seized substances did not fall under the definition of narcotics and requested her acquittal based on what it considered procedural flaws in the arrest and search.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
