Ecclestone Surrenders Shotgun at Portugal Airport — SkimNews
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- Bernie Ecclestone, 95, was stopped and questioned by four police officers and customs officials at Tires Aerodrome in Cascais, Portugal on Monday after arriving from Switzerland with a shotgun
- Ecclestone told the Press Association he had to "surrender" the firearm because he did not have the official documents required to import it into Portugal
- Ecclestone denied being arrested, calling the Portuguese police "very helpful" and rejecting reports of an arrest
- The shotgun was intended for a clay pigeon shooting competition that Ecclestone was traveling to Portugal to take part in
- Ecclestone said he had previously taken the same weapon from England to Switzerland without issue, claiming airport officials there know him "very well"
- In 2022, Ecclestone was arrested in Brazil for illegally carrying a gun while boarding a private plane to Switzerland and was ordered to pay 6,000 Brazilian reals (£1,000) to local authorities
Why it matters: The Cascais stop is Ecclestone's second firearms-at-an-airport incident in three years — his 2022 Brazil arrest resulted in a £1,000 fine — and shows how moving personal weapons between jurisdictions trips up even a billionaire accustomed to VIP clearance.
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