Lil Boosie -- 8 Years in Prison for Drug Smuggling Conspiracy

Rapper Lil Boosie was sentenced to 8 years of hard time for conspiring to smuggle drugs into prison ... THREE TIMES.

Boosie -- who was featured on the 2007 hit "Wipe Me Down" -- was in court in Louisiana Tuesday morning, where he plead guilty to three counts conspiring to bring drugs into a penal institution.

The judge sentenced Boosie to 8 years in prison.

But Boosie has bigger problems -- he's also been accused of 1st degree murder in the death of a 35-year-old man ... and could possibly face the death penalty if convicted.