Paris Hilton has been charged with cocaine possession.

The hotel heiress could face up to four years in prison after 0.8 grams of the illegal drug was found in her handbag when she and boyfriend Cy Waits were stopped and searched by police in Las Vegas on Friday night.

It has been claimed District Attorney David Roger – who is overseeing the case – is set to sentence the 29-year-old socialite to prison, because he "won't tolerate celebrities" who get into trouble.

A source told website RadarOnline.com: “Roger won't tolerate celebrities coming to Las Vegas and thinking they can get away with illegal behaviour. It's going to be extremely difficult for Paris to get out of these charges, even with the brilliant legal skills of her lawyer, David Chesnoff.”

She is due in court on October 27 over the felony possession of a controlled substance charge, which was filed in court by the Clark County District Attorney's Office.

Paris was stopped by officers on Friday during a night out with Cy - who has been charged with drunk-driving and is due in court on November 29 - after police noticed an "odour of marijuana" coming out of the vehicle.

The police report from one of the officers at the scene states: “Hilton said she needed to put some lip balm on, and I handed her the purse from the table. As she began to open it, I saw a small bundle of what I believed to be cocaine in a clear baggy begin to fall from the purse and into my hand.”

After her arrest, the reality TV star told officers she had borrowed the handbag from a friend, that it contained several make-up items which were not hers, and she thought the cocaine was chewing gum.

Paris has already been arrested twice this year for drug-related offences, but her attorney has urged people not to jump to conclusions.

He said in a statement: "This matter will be dealt with in the courts, not in the media, and I encourage people not to rush to judgment until all of the facts have been dealt with in a court of law.”