Ex-‘American Idol’ contestant charged in large drug ring

NORFOLK, Virginia — Thirty-two year old Antonella Barba, a singing contestant on “American Idol” in 2007, has been charged in connection to a large drug operation in Virginia.

Barba, who was also once a contestant on “Fear Factor”, was arrested last week. She is charged federally for distribution and possession of drugs as well as one count of conspiracy.

The Virginian-Pilot reports

Barba was a runner for the ring and she tried to deliver nearly 2 pounds of fentanyl in Norfolk to people who would then distribute it.

She was initially arrested in October and has a felony marijuana case pending in Kansas. She was out on bond when was arrested in the drug ring last week,

according to the Virginian-Pilot.

The drug operation ran from late 2017 through October 2018, police said. There are several co-defendants in the case, the Virginian-Pilot reports.

In 2007, photos of the “Idol” contestant wearing a wet T-shirt and underwear near a World War II monument in Washington D.C. surfaced.

In 2018, Barba posted on social media that she was producing music for the now-disgraced singer R. Kelly, who is accused of sexual assault crimes.