Wiz Khalifa Jailed for Nine Months in Romania Over On-Stage Cannabis Use

By Micheal Chukwuebuka

American rapper Wiz Khalifa, born Thomaz Cameron Jibril, has been sentenced to nine months in prison in Romania for smoking cannabis during a festival performance.

The Constanța Court of Appeal overturned an earlier fine of 3,600 Romanian lei (£650), replacing it with a custodial sentence after finding him guilty of drug possession. The ruling was delivered in absentia, and it remains unclear whether the rapper is currently in Romania. He was last seen performing in California alongside Gunna.

Khalifa was briefly detained and questioned by police on 13 July 2024 before prosecutors charged him with possessing “risk drugs” for personal use. Authorities said he was found with more than 18 grams of cannabis and consumed some of it on stage. Judges described the act as “ostentatious”, arguing that as a performer with a large youth following, he normalised illegal behaviour and encouraged drug use.

Following the incident, Khalifa apologized in a post on X, saying he did not intend to offend Romania and that he would return, but “without a big joint next time”.

Romanian criminologist Vlad Zaha told the BBC that extradition to the United States was highly unlikely, citing Khalifa’s wealth, the legal status of cannabis in parts of the US, and Romania’s limited leverage. He described the sentence as unusually severe and said it was improbable that the rapper would serve time in Constanța.