Sep 06, Kathmandu - An Egyptian court has sentenced 11 people, including popular TV presenter Sara Khalifa, to death for drug trafficking and production.

According to the state-run Al-Ahram news agency, they were found to be involved in an international criminal gang that illegally imported and sold raw materials needed for drug production. During a special operation, police seized more than 750 kilograms of drugs, raw materials, and illegal weapons and ammunition.

The court sentenced 11 people, including the 39-year-old presenter Khalifa, to death. Nine others involved in the same case were sentenced to life imprisonment and seven were acquitted.

According to Egyptian legal procedures, the initial verdict, which was handed down last month, was only finally confirmed after the formal approval and opinion of the country's chief religious authority, the Grand Mufti.

Khalifa, the host of the popular international and criminal investigation television program Mission Impossible, has denied all charges against her. His lawyer said he would appeal the verdict to a higher court, claiming he first saw the drugs while taking a picture at the Narcotics Control Office.

According to human rights group Amnesty International, the death penalty is widely used in Egypt. Egypt's move to impose the death penalty for drug-related offenses other than outright murder has been criticized internationally.