Bowie, maryland -- A Ghanaian husband and wife are facing the possibility of a hefty sentence, after a federal jury convicted them of conspiracy to import and distribute heroin on Feb. 6.

According to evidence, Godfrey Bonsu, 44, and Victoria Boateng, 42, recruited couriers to smuggle heroin from Ghana, Germany and the United Kingdom by swallowing pellets containing the drug and flying into the United States.

The couriers, many of whom testified, would then meet the defendants at a Maryland hotel and turn over the heroin. These incidents allegedly occurred between September 2003 and December 2004.

The couple now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison, with a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison, a $4 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. Both defendants are being detained, awaiting sentencing scheduled for May 2.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James G. Warwick prosecuted the case.