Egypt actor handed suspended jail sentence for cannabis

Popular Egyptian actor Menna Shalabi was found guilty Thursday for cannabis possession and handed a suspended one-year jail sentence and a fine, in a case that drew widespread attention.

Shalabi, the first Egyptian to be nominated for an International Emmy Award in 2021 for her role in the miniseries “Every Week Has a Friday”, was arrested in November with cannabis-infused products while arriving from the United States to Cairo airport.

Products including lollipops and other marijuana-infused snacks were found in her luggage, legal in parts of the United States but illegal in Egypt.

Shalabi was handed “a suspended sentence of one year in prison” and a fine of 10,000 Egyptian pounds ($367), a judicial official said.

Cannabis is used widely in Egypt, which launches sporadic star-studded anti-drug campaigns, including one led by Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah and another by actor Mohamed Ramadan.