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Professional poker player David Peat says he was rousted at an airport by Federal agents who thought he was a drug dealer because he was carrying a lot of cash.
Peat, of Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, earlier this week relayed the harrowing tale at the poker-themed posting forum, www.twoplustwo.com
In his posted account of the incident, Peat said he was at the airport in Detroit, Michigan, USA, on Monday with his girlfriend and the two had tickets to fly back to Las Vegas.
At the last minute, he said, he changed his mind and decided to fly instead to Los Angeles, California, USA, to participate in a poker tournament, while his girlfriend went on as planned to Vegas.
Peat said he then bought a first-class ticket to Los Angeles and paid for it in cash.
Buying an $800 first-class ticket with cash just minutes before a flight is to take off apparently set off some red flags, he said.
Before he could board the plane, Peat said he was accosted by two men who identified themselves as Federal agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Peat said the drug agents searched him and found $15,000 in cash.
When the agents asked him why he had so much cash on him, Peat said he told them he was a professional poker player, en route to a tournament, and frequently carried large sums of cash for such events.
The agents then confiscated the cash, plus a $50,000 Rolex watch he was wearing, giving no explanation except to say he would hear from them, Peat said.
Peat said he had several arrests for marijuana possession many years ago, and that likely didn't help the situation.
"I have taken some pretty bad beats in my life..." Peat wrote on his post. "Today I took an even worse beat in the airport."
According to tournament records, Peat has won $277,047 in his career playing tournament poker.
His biggest payday was a second-place finish last year in a World Poker Tour tournament at the Bellagio casino in Vegas, earning him $202,455.
Thomas Somach, www.pokerhelper.com
