ROMANIAN COURT HANDS US RAPPER WIZ KHALIFA NINE-MONTH SENTENCE FOR DRUG POSSESSION. (PHOTO).

 Romanian court hands US rapper Wiz Khalifa nine-month sentence for drug possession

 An American rapper has been sentenced to nine months in prison by a Romanian court more than a year after a high-profile incident at a summer music festival along the country’s Black Sea coast. Wiz Khalifa, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, was convicted Thursday of illegal drug possession stemming from his appearance at the Beach, Please! Festival in Costinesti in July 2024. Authorities said the artist was stopped by police after allegedly smoking cannabis on stage during his performance and was found to be carrying more than 18 grams of the drug. Prosecutors argued that part of the substance was consumed publicly while he was performing, an act that drew widespread attention at the time.

The ruling overturned a lighter penalty imposed earlier this year, when a lower court issued Khalifa a criminal fine of 3,600 lei, roughly $830. Prosecutors appealed that decision, seeking a harsher punishment under Romania’s strict drug laws, which criminalize cannabis possession even for personal use and allow for jail sentences of up to two years. The appeals court agreed and issued a final, binding sentence of nine months. It remains unclear whether Romanian authorities will pursue extradition, as Khalifa is a U.S. citizen who does not live in Romania. Now 38, the Pittsburgh-born rapper rose to fame with his breakout mixtape “Kush + Orange Juice” and is widely known for hits including “Young, Wild & Free,” a song he was performing when the onstage incident occurred.