American Idol alum Antonella Barba was arrested Monday on a charge of drug distribution and possession, and is accused of trying to deliver nearly two pounds of fentanyl, The Virginian-Pilot reports.
Barba, who competed on season 6 of American Idol in 2007, was working from at least late 2017 through the fall of 2018 as a courier for a drug ring that also trafficked heroin and cocaine, according to an indictment filed in U.S. District Court in Norfolk.
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She was arrested in October 2018 on a felony charge of distributing more than 100 grams of heroin, and released from jail on $50,000 bond two weeks later. Her attorney said at the time that Barba was unaware the drug was in her rented vehicle.
The 32-year-old was taken into custody again on Monday, Feb. 11, The Virginian-Pilot reports. Federal authorities charged her with one count of distribution and possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of conspiracy. Her state drug-dealing charges were dropped.
Another alleged drug ring member who has been charged, Justin Michael Isaac, allegedly directed Barba to drop off about 830 grams, or close to two pounds, of fentanyl in Norfolk, Virginia, according to the indictment.
Barba, who also appeared on Fear Factor, was already facing 40 years in prison from her October arrest. The new charges could result in even more hard time, with each count carrying a maximum sentence of life in prison.
She also has a felony marijuana case pending in Kansas.
Barba’s detention hearing is scheduled for Thursday.
During her time on American Idol, Barba reached the top 16. She competed on Fear Factor in 2012. She also appeared in 2018 on ABC‘s Jimmy Kimmel Live for a segment featuring Idol alumni titled “Where Are They Now?”
Entertainment Tonight reports that Barba also made headlines around the time she appeared on Idol for posing in a wet T-shirt at the World War II memorial in Washington.
