(CelebrityAccess) — Former “American Idol” contestant Antonella Barba is headed to prison to federal drug distribution charges after she was arrested with what police allege was a substantial quantity of the dangerous synthetic opioid fentanyl.
According to court documents, Antonella Maria Barba, 32, of Point Pleasant, was parked in downtown Norfolk in a rental car in 2018 when she was approached by law enforcement as part of a drug surveillance operation.
After a police dog triggered on Barba’s vehicle, police conducted a search and found a shoebox containing a large quantity of what a federal lab determined to be nearly 2 pounds of fentanyl, a Schedule II controlled substance.
She later pleaded guilty to possessing with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl.
Barba, who faced a maximum sentence of life in prison, was instead sentenced to 45 months in federal prison as well as five years of supervised release.
Barba was one of the top 16 contestants of the sixth season of American Idol, back in 2007.
