9 hours ago
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American hip-hop star Wiz Khalifa has been handed a nine-month prison sentence by a court in Romania over a drug-related offence connected to a stage performance in the country last year.
The conviction was delivered in absentia after prosecutors overturned an earlier judgment that had imposed only a monetary penalty.
Khalifa, born Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was arrested in July 2024 after allegedly smoking cannabis during a live performance at a music festival in Costinești, a resort town along Romania’s Black Sea coast.
He was briefly held by authorities before being released, and later issued a public apology, saying his actions were not intended as a sign of disrespect to Romanian laws or culture.
Initially, the Constanța Tribunal fined the rapper 3,000 lei, roughly $690. Dissatisfied with the outcome, prosecutors from the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism, DIICOT, filed an appeal, arguing that the offence warranted a custodial sentence.
The appellate court agreed, replacing the fine with a nine-month jail term for illegal possession of a high-risk drug for personal use. Reports indicate the decision is final under Romanian law.
Wiz Khalifa is currently based in the United States, and it is yet to be determined whether Romanian authorities will seek his extradition.
There has been no confirmation that the sentence will be enforced.
Romania enforces stringent anti-drug legislation, with cannabis prohibited for both recreational and medical purposes.
