Wiz Khalifa has reportedly been sentenced by a Romanian court to nine months in jail for a drug possession incident that occurred last year. The decision overturns an earlier fine and orders the artist to serve time in custody, according to court documents.
Wiz Khalifa hit with 9 month jail sentence
A Romanian appeals court has sentenced Wiz Khalifa to nine months in jail for smoking cannabis during a live performance at the Beach, Please! festival in Costinesti in July 2024. The ruling replaces an initial penalty of 3,600 Romanian lei that had been imposed for drug possession.
As reported by the BBC, the Constanța Court of Appeal said it overturned the fine after determining that the rapper’s actions sent “a message of normalisation of illegal conduct” and encouraged “drug use among young people.” Judges described the incident as an “ostentatious act,” noting that the performer consumed cannabis on stage in front of a crowd made up largely of young people.
Romanian authorities briefly detained and questioned Khalifa following the July 13 concert before releasing him. Prosecutors later charged him with possession of “risk drugs” for personal use. Investigators stated that he possessed more than 18 grams of cannabis and also consumed an additional amount during the performance.
Despite the ruling, the sentence was delivered in absentia. Khalifa has continued performing and posting online in recent days. He appeared on stage in California and shared content from his home on Twitch and social media platforms. However, following the incident last year, Khalifa addressed the situation on X, writing that he did not intend to offend Romania. “I didn’t mean any disrespect to the country of Romania by lighting up on stage. They were very respectful and let me go. I’ll be back soon. But without a big ass joint next time,” he said.
Romanian criminologist Vlad Zaha told the outlet that extradition is highly unlikely and called the punishment “unusually harsh.”
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.
