Royal Marine sniper: Bullseye shot takes out boat's engine as Royal Navy pounces on drug smugglers in the Gulf
A Royal Marine sniper took out drug smugglers carrying a £35m cargo with a single shot.
The deadly bullet disabled a skiff being used to ferry a consignment of heroin, crystal meth and cannabis across the Gulf of Oman. It ground to a halt after being hit in the engine by a bullet shot from a Wildcat helicopter which was flown from the Royal Navy’s HMS Lancaster.
The skiff was travelling at more than 40 knots when it was shot at - but was brought to an immediate halt, and its 1.5-tonne cargo seized.
Armed Forces minister Al Carns said: “Outstanding work by the crew of the HMS Lancaster who stopped and seized £35M worth of dangerous and illicit drugs at sea. Moreover, a well-planned operation culminating in a surgical shot by a Royal Marines sniper disabling the engine of a vessel traveling at 40 knots. That’s excellence at work.
“Not only have our Royal Navy and Royal Marines disrupted a major criminal enterprise and kept drugs off our streets and away from our kids, but have once again demonstrated effectiveness, decisive action and the exceptionally high standard of our Royal Navy and Marines. I salute our Royal Navy and Royal Marines for their indefatigable work keeping us safe at home and strong abroad.”
HMS Lancaster is a Portsmouth-based Type 23 frigate deployed to the Middle East on a long-term mission as part of wider efforts by the UK to provide regional maritime security and stability. She has been in the region since 2022, with crew rotated on a four-month basis. It’s the first bust Lancaster has scored since intercepting a £30m shipment of illegal narcotics in late May.
This is the first time snipers have been called upon to use non-lethal force to disable a suspicious boat in the Gulf – where typically slow-moving dhows are used to hide the illicit cargoes – unlike the Caribbean, where the tactic has proved effective on several occasions.
The operation began when HMS Lancaster launched her Wildcat from 815 Naval Air Squadron on a dawn patrol over the Gulf of Oman. Her crew soon picked up three suspicious skiffs travelling at speed – and secretly shadowed them while relaying critical information back to the warship.
That allowed Lancaster to launch her Peregrine mini-helicopter drone to continue monitoring the skiffs – again undetected – providing a live video feed to the ship’s operations room.
Meanwhile, the Wildcat returned to refuel and embark a Maritime Sniper Team from 42 Commando – the Royal Marines’ specialists in boarding operations – to close in for the interception.
When the helicopter appeared over the skiffs, their crews immediately increased speed to more than 40 knots and began hurling their cargo into the water to reduce weight.
Ultimately, it led to two of the skiffs being abandoned – but not the third which persisted in trying to get away. At this point, the marines targeted the outboard engine, neutralising it with a single round, while crew of the warship’s sea boat recovered the discarded packages and located a partially-submerged abandoned skiff.
The operation highlights HMS Lancaster’s capability to deter illicit activities and disrupt the narcotics trade.
Commander Sam Stephens, Commanding Officer of HMS Lancaster said: “I’m hugely proud of the team’s professionalism, patience, and skill throughout what was a protracted chase,
“This operation saw Lancaster’s crewed and uncrewed aircraft working hand-in-glove under the direction of the ship’s operations room. The outcome was a highly-successful bust, removing large quantities of narcotics from the streets and preventing their profits from fuelling extremism.”