US rapper Wiz Khalifa has been charged with illegal drug possession after performing at a seaside festival in Romania.
US rapper Wiz Khalifa has been charged with illegal drug possession after performing at a seaside festival in Romania, prosecutors announced on Sunday, after he allegedly took marijuana onstage.
The hip-hop star was headlining the Beach, Please! festival in the village of Costinesti on Romania's Black Sea coast when he was arrested on drug charges early Sunday, prosecutors said.
In Romania, cannabis is considered a “dangerous drug” and possession is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Video posted on social media showed the rapper being escorted from the venue by Romanian authorities.
Was Wiz Khalifa arrested in Romania for lighting a marijuana joint in front of 80,000 people? pic.twitter.com/nIj0K2iEY3
— LMC (@LMCxLUC) July 14, 2024
“During his performance at a music festival in the resort of Costinesti, the accused was found to be in possession of more than 18 grams of cannabis, as well as having taken another amount (on stage) in the form of a homemade cigarette,” Romania's anti-organized crime prosecutor (DIICOT) said in a statement on Sunday.
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A source close to the investigation confirmed to AFP that Wiz Khalifa, along with others, was taken in for questioning early on Sunday morning.
Khalifa was subsequently charged but not detained, the source added.
Prosecutors say the investigation into the musician is ongoing.
Khalifa frequently references the joys of marijuana in his lyrics.
Legal cannabis companies in the U.S. have received funding and endorsements from celebrities known for their marijuana, such as Wiz Khalifa and rapper Snoop Dogg, as well as actor Seth Rogen and former boxing champion Mike Tyson.
In another recent controversy rocking Romania's music world, earlier this month US rapper Nicki Minaj abruptly cancelled her appearance at Bucharest's Saga Festival, citing safety concerns due to upcoming protests.
The day after she was scheduled to speak, accountants demonstrated peacefully in protest against changes to Romania's tax laws.
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