BUCHAREST, Romania: An appeal by American rapper Wiz Khalifa to annul his nine-month jail sentence for drug possession was rejected by a Romanian court on February 26.

Khalifa, whose real name is Cameron Jibril Thomaz, filed an appeal in January after a court in Constanta convicted him a month earlier. Romanian police arrested Khalifa after he was seen allegedly smoking cannabis on stage at the Beach, Please! Festival in Constanta County in July 2024.

Prosecutors said Khalifa not only consumed cannabis on stage, but was also found with more than 18 grams of the substance on his person.

The court found Khalifa guilty of having dangerous drugs for personal use without legal permission.

On Thursday, the appeals court refused to accept Khalifa's request to cancel the sentence and also rejected his request to delay serving it.

In December, he was convicted after a lower court had earlier fined him 3,600 lei (about US$830) in April for illegal possession of dangerous drugs. However, prosecutors challenged that decision and asked for a tougher punishment.

Romania has some of the strictest drug laws in Europe. Having cannabis for personal use is a crime and can lead to a prison sentence of three months to two years, or a fine.

It is unclear whether Romanian authorities will try to have Khalifa extradited, since he is a U.S. citizen and does not live in Romania.