Bernie Ecclestone, the 95-year-old former Formula 1 chief executive, said he was stopped by police at an airport in Portugal after landing with a shotgun he intended to use in a clay pigeon shooting competition, surrendering the weapon after it emerged the proper documentation was missing.
Ecclestone told the Press Association that he was not arrested and that the police were cooperative throughout, but that he had to give up the gun after customs officers determined he needed to either pay duty and apply for a temporary import license or leave it in custody.
The incident took place Monday after Ecclestone landed in Cascais, roughly 20 miles outside Lisbon, on a flight from Switzerland. He said he spoke with customs officers and four police officers for approximately an hour before the matter was resolved.
How it came about
Ecclestone said he learned about the clay pigeon shooting competition only days before, through a connection his wife Fabiana had made while traveling back from Brazil to Portugal. She told him about the event and suggested he come and join, and he agreed it would not be a bad idea.
He said he already had weapons in Switzerland that had been properly imported for clay pigeon shooting there, and brought one with him on the flight. He declared nothing specific to customs on arrival and had already walked past the customs checkpoint when one of his assistants told him police were asking to speak with him.
When Ecclestone went to see the police, they asked about the weapon he had brought. He said he had not unzipped the case. He explained what it was and offered his reasons for bringing it. The officers asked for what they described as a blue book, which he said he had never heard of in his life. He said the officers described it as something like a passport for the weapon.
He said the exchange went on for some time. The police noted that he had attempted to import a firearm. He pushed back, saying he had come through customs and was simply speaking with them now. Eventually the matter was referred back to customs, which gave him the option of surrendering the weapon in Lisbon, applying for a temporary import and paying duty on it, or dealing with it through other channels. He said they went with that option.
Ecclestone denied being arrested and said the police were helpful and were doing what they could to minimize the disruption.
His prior firearm incident
Four years ago, he was stopped by police in Sao Paulo before boarding a flight after a handgun was found in his possession. He paid 6,000 Brazilian reals, approximately 1,000 pounds, to local authorities and the gun was confiscated.
Ecclestone ran Formula 1 for four decades before being deposed as chief executive in 2017 at the age of 86.
