American rapper Wiz Khalifa, born Thomaz Cameron Jibril, has been sentenced in absentia to nine months in prison by a Romanian court for smoking cannabis during a performance last year. Khalifa had performed at the “Beach, Please!” music festival in Costinești, Romania, in July 2024, where authorities found he possessed more than 18 grams of cannabis and consumed additional amounts on stage.
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Initially, Khalifa was released shortly after the incident and fined 3,600 Romanian lei ($829). The rapper issued an apology on X, stating he had no intention of disrespecting Romania.
Wiz Khalifa is facing a nine-month prison sentence in Romania over a drug possession case tied to his appearance at the “Beach, Please!” festival in 2024 🇷🇴
On Thursday, Romania’s Constanța Court of Appeal upheld an appeal filed by DIICOT Constanța, a prosecutor’s office in the… pic.twitter.com/eP00w9sLVB
— Kurrco (@Kurrco) December 18, 2025
Wiz Khalifa is facing a nine-month prison sentence in Romania over a drug possession case tied to his appearance at the “Beach, Please!” festival in 2024
Romania’s Constanța Court of Appeal upheld an appeal filed by DIICOT Constanța, a prosecutor’s office in the country,… pic.twitter.com/0BPU5bsC7W
— No Jumper (@nojumper) December 18, 2025
However, the Constanța branch of Romania’s Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) appealed the ruling. The appellate court sided with the prosecution, citing that Khalifa’s actions sent “a message of normalisation of illegal conduct” and encouraged “drug use among young people.”
The court described the act as “ostentatious,” noting it took place in front of a young audience at a popular music festival.
It remains uncertain whether Romania will pursue extradition to enforce the sentence. Khalifa was seen in the US on Wednesday streaming on Twitch and smoking cannabis, underscoring the contrasting legal frameworks between the two countries.
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Cannabis is illegal in Romania for both recreational and medical use, whereas several US states permit both, though it remains federally prohibited. Notably, on Thursday, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order reclassifying cannabis from a Schedule I to a Schedule III substance, aligning it with drugs such as codeine-based Tylenol and expanding opportunities for research.