Former Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone, 95, was reportedly arrested at an airport in Portugal for allegedly carrying a shotgun without the proper documentation. The incident occurred after his private jet landed at Tires Aerodrome in Cascais, a location near Lisbon.
According to Portuguese outlet Correio da Manha, officers from the Airport Division of the PSP (Portuguese Public Security Police) detained Ecclestone during a routine inspection. He was arriving from Switzerland.
Ecclestone confirmed to the Daily Mail that he had the firearm with him for clay-pigeon shooting and acknowledged not possessing the necessary "blue book" documentation for transporting it. He stated that he has licensed guns at his home in Switzerland and that the weapon was for sporting purposes.
"I had a gun that I was bringing over from Switzerland to Portugal for clay-pigeon shooting. It’s as simple as that. I have guns at home there that are licensed," Ecclestone told the Daily Mail. "They asked if I had a ‘blue book’, which is apparently the documentation you need, and I told them I never travel with documents like that, any documents at all practically."
He described the situation as "wall-to-wall aggravation" after being detained for several hours. His wife, Fabiana Flosi, reportedly went to Lisbon to manage the issue on his behalf. A spokesperson for the PSP police force, however, told the Daily Mail that border control officers had not made the arrest attributed to them.
This is not the first time Ecclestone has faced legal trouble related to firearms. In May 2022, he was arrested in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for illegally carrying a gun while boarding a private plane. At that time, he claimed he was unaware the weapon was in his luggage, calling it a "silly, tiny little incident." He eventually paid bail and was able to fly to Switzerland.
Bernie Ecclestone served as the CEO of Formula 1 from 1987 to 2017.