The police received several calls from other motorists saying  that four sports car were driving “at extremely high speeds” on the A1 motorway in the direction of Bern.

Police patrol units intercepted the offenders, who turned out to be tourists from the UK, near the municipality of Würenlos.

They were reportedly driving at over 200 km/h, which is 80 km/h over the posted speed limit.

The speeders, aged between 25 and 50, were arrested and their vehicles confiscated.

“After being questioned by the police, the four men were handed over to the public prosecutor’s office,” Zurich police said in a press release. 

They are now awaiting sentencing and to find out how much they will have to pay to get their vehicles back and whether they will actually be allowed to drive them home.

What kind of penalties await the speeders?

According to the Swiss Road Traffic Act, driving at 200 km/h in a 120-km/h zone (the usual speed limit on the country’s motorways) is considered a serious infraction, which can result in license revocation, though this applies to residents of Switzerland only.

However, motorists caught  ‘seriously’ speeding on Swiss roads will be slapped with a fine of at least several hundred francs (and in many cases even more), in addition to court fees. The fine can also be converted into a jail sentence, if offenders can’t, or choose not to, pay.

READ ALSO: How speeding in Switzerland will cost you money (and maybe your license)

It’s never a good idea for foreigners to speed on Swiss roads

The four men will eventually return to the UK (though, unlike their driving, Swiss justice system moves slowly), but consequences for those residing in Switzerland can be even more dire.

Take the case of a French national, for instance.

A longtime Geneva resident, the man had his request for Swiss citizenship denied because several year prior he was caught driving past a 40-km/h construction site at 80 km/h and was subsequently slapped with a 540-franc fine.

The naturalisation committee took his careless driving to mean than the man was “not successfully integrated” to merit a Swiss passport.

READ ALSO: Frenchman barred from Swiss citizenship over speeding offence