Overview
- Ecclestone was stopped after his private jet landed at Tires Aerodrome near Lisbon on Monday when officials found a shotgun in his luggage and he was detained for several hours before being released.
- He told reporters the gun was for clay‑pigeon shooting, that he had cleared initial customs, and that he did not have the required 'blue book' temporary‑import document.
- Portuguese accounts conflict: local media say officers from the PSP airport division detained him while a PSP spokesman later directed questions to the Tax and Customs Authority, saying border control did not make the arrest.
- No criminal charges were reported and the weapon was surrendered or being processed under customs procedures after Ecclestone’s wife traveled to Lisbon to resolve import or tax formalities.
- The episode echoes a May 2022 airport firearms detention in Brazil and underlines how strict cross‑border gun rules and missing paperwork can trigger on‑the‑spot detentions and customs enforcement.