Bernie Ecclestone detained in Portugal over undocumented shotgun on private jet

Routine inspection at Tires Aerodrome

Officers from the airport division of Portugal's Public Security Police (PSP) intercepted 95-year-old former Formula 1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone on Monday, 7 September 2026, at Tires Aerodrome in Cascais. The inspection occurred after Ecclestone landed aboard his private Dassault Falcon 7X jet, an aircraft valued at around 40 million euros arriving on a flight from Switzerland. During a routine search of the aircraft, police discovered an undocumented shotgun in his possession. Portugal's Tax Authority confirmed that officials located an object lacking required documentation during the check. Authorities did not immediately confirm whether Ecclestone would be presented before a judge or formally named as an official suspect.

Ecclestone cites clay pigeon shooting

Speaking to the Daily Mail following the encounter, Ecclestone explained that he was transporting the shotgun for clay pigeon shooting. He stated that Portuguese police held him for several hours after discovering that he was travelling without the required paperwork for the firearm.

They asked me if I had the 'blue book', which is apparently the necessary documentation, and I told them I never travel with those kinds of documents. They said they would arrest me, but after what felt like hours, we sorted it out.

Ecclestone described the administrative process at the airfield as an ordeal, though he was eventually permitted to resolve the situation after questioning by Portuguese officials.

Previous firearms detention in Brazil

The incident in Cascais marks the second time in four years that aviation security officials have stopped Ecclestone for carrying an undocumented firearm on a private flight. In May 2022, Brazilian federal police detained him at Viracopos International Airport in Campinas, near Sao Paulo, as he prepared to board a private flight to Switzerland. Security personnel discovered an undocumented.32-calibre pistol inside his luggage. Ecclestone acknowledged ownership of the weapon at the time but stated he did not know it was in his suitcase. He was released to complete his journey after paying bail of 6,060 Brazilian reais, roughly 1,100 euros.

Portuguese ties and legal background

Ecclestone divides his time between Switzerland, Brazil, and Portugal, maintaining a connection to the country dating back to the 1984 return of the Portuguese Grand Prix to the Estoril circuit. Ecclestone and his wife, Fabiana Flosi, own a 2,000-square-metre residence in Cascais at Quinta da Marinha, acquired for approximately 40 million euros from former Global Media Group president Marco Galinha. The purchase represented the largest private residential transaction recorded in Portugal.

Ecclestone led Formula 1 commercial operations for four decades from the 1970s until Liberty Media acquired the championship in 2017. His career also included earlier legal proceedings, including a multi-million-euro settlement in 2014 to conclude a bribery trial in Germany and a 2023 guilty plea in the United Kingdom for tax fraud involving an undeclared Singapore trust holding over 400 million pounds, which resulted in a 17-month suspended sentence and a civil settlement exceeding 600 million pounds.