A Romanian court rejected Wiz Khalifa’s attempt to annul his nine-month jail sentence for possession of drugs during a music festival in 2024 on Thursday (Feb. 26).
Khalifa, 38, was convicted last December of “possession of dangerous drugs, without right, for personal consumption” after he smoked a joint onstage during the Beach Please! Festival in July 2024. In a post on X shortly after his arrest, Khalifa apologized to the country for “lighting up on stage,” and said that officers were “very respectful” and let him go.
A lower court issued Khalifa a criminal fine of 3,600 lei ($830) for “illegal possession of dangerous drugs,” but prosecutors in the case appealed the decision and sought a stricter sentence. Romania has some of the harsher drug penalties in Europe, as personal use of cannabis can be criminalized, and those convicted can face a jail stint between three months and two years, and a fine.
Prosecutors alleged that the “Black & Yellow” rapper had 18 grams of cannabis on him, and he consumed some of those while he was performing on stage.
It is unclear if Romanian authorities will seek his extradition, as he is a U.S. citizen and does not reside in Romania.
The news is another blow for Wiz. Earlier this month, he announced that his father, Laurence Thomaz, had passed away.
“Today my father decided not to wake up,” he wrote in a series of posts on X. “I will always love him, miss him and be [grateful] for the things he taught me. He went out like a true yogi, at peace and on his own time. I love you forever Laurence W. Thomaz.”
He added, “The last conversation i had with my dad was him telling me how proud of me he was for the movie i was in and I promised him i would do more. LT Forever.”
