Highstakes poker pro Salman Behbehani was named this week as the mystery man arrested on suspicion of drug smuggling. Apparently he got caught in possession of cocaine, LSD, ecstasy, and many more drugs on the Spanish party island of Ibiza…
https://twitter.com/poker_red/status/1418212454618656768?s=20
Behbehani travelling from Las Vegas to Ibiza
Rumours had been going around that a well-known pro had been busted after flying to Ibiza from Las Vegas on a private jet. This week several sources confirmed his identity as Italian-Kuwaiti national Behbehani. He is a pro with almost $3.4million in tournament cashes to his name.
According to Periódico de Ibiza y Formentera, the Spanish newspaper that broke the incredible story, Behbehani was allegedly carrying a suitcase full of illegal drugs when he landed in Ibiza at around 3 am on Friday, July 16th.
The Spanish Guardia Civil (Civil Guard, a branch of the national police) initially detected “organic substances and small foreign containers” inside a suitcase belonging to Behbehani during a scan.
When they opened it for a closer inspection, they discovered a huge haul of drugs, weighing more than 1.5kilos, including:
- 315grams of cocaine
- 705 grams of hashish
- 80 grams of crystal meth
- 171 grams of the synthetic psychedelic drug 2C-B (pictured below)
- As well as amounts of tubici (pink cocaine), marijuana, speed, LSD, ecstasy, magic mushrooms and amylnitrate.
Is Behbehani in jail?
The suitcase also contained cash in a number of different currencies, including €6220, $1785, £485, ฿101,200 (Thai Baht), and د.ك 100 (Kuwaiti dinars).
Behbehani, who was not initially named by the Guardia Civil, was among 30 people on the flight from Las Vegas, which reportedly included some other, as yet unnamed, poker pros.
It is believed he is currently being held in an Ibiza jail, without bail. He is the only person arrested from that private flight out of Las Vegas.
The 33-year-old is apparently related to one of Kuwait’s wealthiest families. However, he considers himself a Californian and is also a US citizen. Behbehani has been a regular on the professional circuit for over a decade, describing himself as a “Professional Poker Player/Avid Traveler/BAPE Connoisseur” on his Twitter bio.
He is not the only poker pro facing drug-possession charges
His biggest tournament score came at the 2011 Partouche Poker Tour Main Event when he lost heads-up to Sam Trickett, pocketing €600,000 ($818,799) as runner-up.
He also took a massive cash at the 2016 WCOOP on PokerStars, finishing 3rd behind Benjamin “bencb789” Rolle and Fedor “CrownUpGuy” Holz in the inaugural $102,000 buy-in Super High Roller event for $560,000.
A San Diego resident, Salman Behbehani has numerous other online scores to his name and five more 6-figure live cashes on his Hendon Mob resume.
Though Behbehani has yet to be publicly named or charged by the authorities, let alone convicted. He would hardly be the first poker pro to run afoul of drug laws.
Mike “The Mouth” Matusow is the most famous of all players to be busted on drugs charges. He served a 6-month sentence for possession of cocaine to sell. According to Matusow, he had unwittingly bought the cocaine for a “friend”. However, that person turned out to be an undercover DEA agent.
Facing a possible ten years’ prison time, Matusow’s celebrity lawyer David Chesnoff managed to get him a plea deal. It saw the infamous pro serve his half-year at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas.
Terms and conditions apply. New customer offer and 18+ only. Should you require help regarding your betting pattern, please visit www.begambleaware.org
