Former Formula 1 chief Bernie Ecclestone was reportedly detained in Portugal after arriving in the country with a shotgun without the required documentation.
According to Correio da Manha, the 95-year-old was stopped at Tires Aerodrome in Cascais, near Lisbon, after flying in by private jet from Switzerland on Monday.
Police from Portugal’s Public Security Police reportedly became involved during a routine inspection, with Ecclestone taken aside over the firearm.
Ecclestone has disputed reports that he was formally arrested, but confirmed he had brought the shotgun into Portugal for clay-pigeon shooting without realising additional paperwork was required.
“I had a gun that I was bringing over from Switzerland to Portugal for clay-pigeon shooting. It’s as simple as that,” Ecclestone told Daily Mail Sport. He added that he already has licensed firearms at home in Portugal.
Ecclestone said he initially cleared customs without issue before police later searched his luggage and asked him to produce the documentation required for the shotgun.
“They asked if I had a ‘blue book’, which is apparently the documentation you need,” he said, explaining that he rarely travels with paperwork for his firearms.
He claimed officers told him he could be arrested, but the situation was eventually resolved after what he described as hours of frustration.
Speaking separately to the Press Association, Ecclestone said he had planned to compete in a clay-pigeon shooting event after his wife, Fabiana Flosi, learned about the competition.
Despite reports suggesting he had been arrested, Ecclestone insisted that was not the case.
“No. The police were very helpful and doing all they could to stop us from having to do what we had to do,” he said.
The shotgun was subsequently surrendered in Lisbon while authorities worked through the relevant documentation and import requirements.
“So now we’ve gone through all this and the people in Lisbon have got the gun,” Ecclestone told Reuters. “I’ve signed some documents as they wanted.”
The incident marks the second time in four years that Ecclestone has faced questions from authorities over a firearm while travelling.
In May 2022, he was stopped in Brazil after an unloaded LW Seecamp .32-calibre pistol was discovered in his luggage before a flight from Sao Paulo to Switzerland. Ecclestone said he owned the handgun but had forgotten it was in his bag.
He was subsequently released after paying bail.
Ecclestone controlled Formula 1’s commercial operations for several decades before stepping down from his position in 2017.
