Ghanaian-Canadian convicted for heroin-smuggling attempt

CHAMPLAIN, N.Y. -- A Canadian athlete has been convicted of smuggling nearly six pounds of heroin into the United States.

Thirty-five-year-old Kofi Yevakpor was arrested in October by U-S Customs and Border Protection at the Champlain crossing after a search of his luggage turned up an estimated one million dollars worth of heroin.

He was convicted by a jury of two charges Tuesday and faces sentencing in federal court in June.

Yevakpor is a professional sprinter who immigrated to Canada from Ghana in 1994 and has competed internationally. In 2001, he was banned from competition in Canada for four years after he tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs.