Six years for poker star who landed in Balearics with a suitcase full of drugs

The magistrates consider it proven that the accused was arrested in possession of a large quantity of substances that were inside the suitcase that was inspected at the Ibiza aerodrome. DJ and poker player Salman Behbehani is a member of one of the richest families in the world according to Forbes magazine.

In July 2021, he apparently landed on a private jet from Las Vegas, accompanied by 30 other people, with a large quantity of drugs in his suitcase: 315 grams of cocaine, 171 grams of Tusi, 705 grams of hashish, 80 grams of MDMA, various quantities of marijuana, poppers, LSD and other substances. The Public Prosecutor’s Office was seeking a sentence of nine years in prison for Behbehani and a fine of 53,000 euros.

Behbehani landed in Ibiza in the early hours of 16 July 2021 and was intercepted in the airport scanner area by officers from the Tax Agency and the Guardia Civil Border Patrol. The DJ and renowned poker player was part of a group of 30 people on the jet. During the inspection, the officers used a scanner to detect a large assortment of drugs inside one of the suitcases. The Guardia Civil also found 6,220 euros, 1,785 dollars, 485 pounds, 100 Kuwaiti dinars and 101,200 Thai baht.

One of the officers who intervened when Behbehani got off the private jet explained that they had been told to search the aircraft. “They told us that the accused was the owner of the plane and it surprised us that such a young person should have such a big plane”.

Salman Behbehani, 37 years old and of US nationality, was arrested and imprisoned. His family ranks 19th on the Forbes list of the 100 best family businesses in the Middle East. During his career as a live tournament poker player he has won almost three million dollars. In a single game he won 600,000. The sentence is not final, an appeal can be lodged with the Civil and Criminal Chamber of the Superior Court of Justice of the Balearic Islands.