ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - A leader of an international heroin smuggling ring that brought more than $800,000 worth of heroin from Ghana through Dulles International Airport has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

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Sixty-two-year-old Edward Macauley was arrested in his home country of Ghana last year and extradited to Virginia to face federal charges. Macauley is one of a dozen defendants who have been charged.

He pleaded guilty in January. The 14-year term imposed by the judge matched what prosecutors sought. Macauley's lawyer had asked for the mandatory minimum of 10 years, citing Macauley's age.

The organization recruited Ghanaian citizens living legally in the U.S. to act as couriers. They were paid up to $15,000 per trip and hid the drugs in wigs and specially modified carry-on luggage.