David Saab, a very highly regarded professional Australian poker player, has been sentenced to serve a minimum 10 years of a 14 year prison sentence for trying to smuggle 14.6 kg of cocaine into Australia.

It was reported that Saab, 38, of Balwyn North, a Melbourne suburb, recruited Robert Remeeus, 28, and Darren Hughes, 27, both from Vermont South, in a conspiracy to smuggle the cocaine into Australia. The cocaine arrived to Sydney via Canada on January 17th where it was tracked to its final destination in Melbourne. All three of the men were charged with smuggling and possession of a commercial quantity of drugs. Both Remeeus and Hughes were sentenced to serve a minimum of 5 years of an 8 year prison term.

All three of the men pleaded guilty in a Victorian County courtroom and Judge Liz Gaynor dealt a heavier sentence to Saab as “the principal organizer in Australia” of the conspiracy and as the individual who stood to “derive the most benefit from it.” Judge Gaynor implied that both Remeeus and Hughes were influenced heavily by Saab who they met around the Australian poker scene.

Saab is a fixture on the Australian poker circuit and has enjoyed an exceptional amount of success in poker tournaments around the world. His impressive resume includes a $280,000 victory on the Asia Poker Tour in 2008, a $135,000 for a very deep run in the 2008 WSOP Main Event as well as a victory in the 2007 Aussie Millions Heads-Up Championship which added an additional $50,898 to his total career poker tournament winnings of well over $500,000.

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