Now 37-years-old, Salman Behbehani has nearly $3.4 million in live tournament winnings to his credit, and his biggest payday came in 2011 when he won €600,000 for finishing second in the Main Event of the Partouche Poker Tour - PPT Cannes. In 2013, he almost won a WSOP bracelet, in the $5,000 PLO 6-Handed, where he took home just under $302,000 for his second place finish.
What happened?
Let's fast forward to July 16, 2021, when professional poker player and DJ Salman Behbehani was arrested in Ibiza. He comes from one of the richest families in Kuwait, even though he is a US citizen.
Salman flew on a private jet from Las Vegas to sunny Ibiza in 2021, accompanied by 30 people. However, during a routine check, police found more than 1.5kg of drugs in his suitcase, which included cocaine, tusi, cannabis, LSD, MDMA, hashish and ketamine. The drugs had a total value of more than €26,500.
But drugs were not the only problem. In addition, police also found €6,220, $1,785, £485, 100 Kuwaiti dinars and 101,200 Thai bhat in cash in his suitcase, raising suspicions that it could be unrecognised property.
The court's conclusion
Salman originally faced nine years in prison and a fine of €53,000. However, this week the court held a hearing and pronounced a different verdict. Salman Behbehani is to serve six years behind bars and pay a fine of €30,000. If Behbehani is not satisfied with this verdict, he can appeal to the Civil and Criminal Chamber of the Balearic Islands Supreme Court of Justice.
Source - Pokernews, Youtube, IB3 Notícies