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Poker Pro Gets Slammed for Smuggling Drugs

September 16, 2011

Online poker pro David “ZanderFish” Saab and two friends were arrested back in February for allegedly smuggling 14.6 kg of pure Colombian cocaine into Melbourne, Australia. Now the three have been sentenced to the maximum penalty.

Saab received a 14-year sentence—one year for each kg of uncut Cocaine that he hid inside agricultural equipment he brought from Canada. His friends, 27-year-old Darren Hughes and 28-year-old Robert Remeeus, were given eight years in prison each with a five-year minimum mandatory.

The smuggled product was estimated to have a street value of anywhere between two and 10 million dollars. Reportedly Saab was only going to make about a hundred grand from the transaction and was to give his partners only ten grand each.

The cocaine, which was hidden in sealed plastic bags inside of a mechanical spreader, was revealed by Customs and Australian Federal Police in Melbourne at the air cargo shipment terminal. The cops didn’t bust Saab right away though. They removed the illegal substance and replaced it with baby powder, allowing Saab to leave with the spreader and go on to their destination where they would remove the powder. The police then charged in and took the men down, which seems like a lot of trouble when they could’ve just busted him when he picked up the cargo at the airport.

Apparently Saab met some organized crime players while playing poker in underground poker rooms and then became involved in the illegal activity to gain some easy money. He should have stuck to poker, though, as he was pretty good at it.

Many are outraged by the degree of sentencing handed down to Saab, but Australian government must have picked Saab to make an example out of.

Written by Bea · Filed Under Poker News 

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