Former American Idol contestant Antonella Barba, 31, arrested for dealing heroin

A former contestant who appeared on the sixth season of American Idol has been arrested for selling heroin.

Antonella Barba, 31, was booked by sheriff’s deputies in Norfolk County, Virginia on Thursday.

She has been charged with one count of distributing heroin with an intent to sell – a felony that carries a sentence of between five and 40 years in prison.

Barba was ordered remanded to jail without bond.

Virginia’s drug laws are considered some of the strictest in the country, particularly when it comes to heroin.

Just possessing heroin can result in a 12-month jail sentence.

This is the second time that Barba has had a run-in with the law.

In 2011, she was arrested for shoplifting in New York City. A year later, she appeared on another reality show – Fear Factor.

Barba first achieved fame when she appeared on American Idol, the popular televised singing contest, during its sixth season in 2007.

Barba first achieved fame when she appeared on American Idol, the popular televised singing contest, during its sixth season in 2007

She was eliminated just before the top 12 singers were chosen for the talent competition.

Barba caused a stir at the time after she was photographed posing in a wet t-shirt in the fountain of the World War Two Memorial, according to TMZ.

She also made news during her time on the show after racy photographs of her were leaked to the internet.

The pictures showed Barba in various stages of undress. She acknowledged at the time that the photos were authentic but they were leaked without her consent.

Barba caused a stir at the time after she was photographed posing in a wet t-shirt in the fountain of the World War Two Memorial. She is seen at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles after singing the national anthem before a game between the Dodgers and Diamondbacks in 2017

She also made news during her time on the show after racy photographs of her were leaked to the internet. Barba is seen above in Hoboken, New Jersey in 2010

The pictures showed Barba in various stages of undress. She acknowledged at the time that the photos were authentic but they were leaked without her consent. She is seen above in Los Angeles in 2009

The photos included images of a young woman lying on her back covered in rose petals, posing in her underwear, sitting on a toilet and standing among a group of topless women at a beach, hands over their breasts. 

Others showed a woman performing oral sex on a man.

Online chat rooms and blogs were abuzz with Idol fans and internet gawkers commenting on the photos after they appeared.

Through it all, Fox executives and producers kept silent, and no mention of the flap was made on the show until earlier this week, when judge Simon Cowell told Barba he thought she had handled herself well amid the media frenzy.

Barba said at the time she found the controversy embarrassing and distracting but conceded that ‘my name is, I guess, more well known because of it.’