On Thursday 1 October 2026, Cairo’s criminal court of appeal sentenced a hotel manager in central Cairo and a Brazilian guest to one year in prison each, reducing an earlier three-year term.[1] Investigators said the Brazilian woman asked the manager to buy hashish so she could bake a “hashish cake” in the hotel kitchen, mix it into chocolate, and serve it to a Chinese friend staying at the same hotel as a prank.[1][2][3]

The Chinese guest became severely ill after eating the cake and was taken to hospital; urine tests found cannabis.[1][2][3] Police arrested the manager and the Brazilian woman, and the public prosecution sent them to the criminal court, which convicted them on 25 May 2026 and jailed them for three years with hard labour.[2][3] The appeal court substituted a one-year sentence for each defendant.[1]