A Romanian appeals court has sentenced American rapper Wiz Khalifa to nine months in prison following a legal case linked to an incident at a 2024 music festival.
The ruling relates to the artist’s appearance at the Beach, Please! Festival in Costinesti, where authorities said he was found in possession of an illegal s******e and consumed part of it during his performance. Police briefly questioned the rapper after the show before releasing him.
A lower court had earlier issued a financial penalty for possession of banned s******es intended for personal use. Prosecutors appealed that decision, arguing the public nature of the act and the influence of a high profile performer on younger audiences required a stricter response.
The Constanta Court of Appeal overturned the fine and imposed a nine month prison sentence, delivered in absentia. The court said the act was carried out openly at a youth oriented event and risked normalizing illegal behavior.
Wiz Khalifa, whose legal name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, is a US citizen and does not live in Romania. Legal analysts say enforcement of the sentence is unlikely due to international legal limitations and differences in s******e laws between countries.
Following the original incident, the artist stated publicly that he did not intend to offend local authorities. He has not issued a formal statement regarding the court’s final ruling.
