Socialite Paris Hilton has been arrested for possession of cocaine after officers stopped the car she was in on a Las Vegas street, police said yesterday.

Public information officer Marcus Martin said Hilton was booked into the Clark County Detention Centre on Friday on a charge of possession of cocaine.

He said she was in a car driven by a friend that was stopped on Friday night when officers noticed what they suspected to be marijuana smoke coming from it.

Martin said officers found what appeared to be a controlled substance on Hilton and tests showed it was cocaine. He said he didn't know how much of the drug was found.

Las Vegas police spokes­man Wayne Holman said Hilton was still being held yesterday and would probably be released later.