Pete Doherty. Detained. Again.

I kinda feel sorry for him now. Now any hooligan can just go around and leave drug paraphenalia lying about in Pete's presence, and he will most probably be the one busted.

LONDON (AFP) - Troubled British singer Pete Doherty has been detained on board a flight from London to Barcelona after a syringe was found in the aeroplane toilet, an easyJet spokeswoman said.

The captain of the plane, which was travelling from London Gatwick airport, radioed ahead to ask police to meet the flight at Barcelona's El Prat airport. Police were searching the plane as it sat on the runway, she added.

Doherty has been arrested a number of times for possession of both hard and soft drugs since late last year.

A British court sentenced him to 12 months' community service and ordered him to undergo a detoxification programme in February this year.

But last month, police in the western German city of Cologne said they had launched a probe against the Babyshambles frontman, based on allegations he took drugs with two fans in a car there.

In April he was freed on police bail after a British Sunday newspaper published photos of him allegedly injecting a drug into the arm of an apparently unconscious female fan at his east London home.

The easyJet spokeswoman said the plane was carrying 142 passengers.

Doherty -- a one-time beau of supermodel Kate Moss -- and members of Babyshambles were travelling to Spain in a seven-strong party and were due to perform at the Primavera Sound Festival in Barcelona Thursday evening.