Royal Navy halts 40-knot drug-smuggling skiff in Gulf of Oman

A Royal Navy frigate and embarked Royal Marines disabled a drug-smuggling speedboat in the Gulf of Oman during a dawn patrol, firing a single round from a helicopter-mounted sniper that stopped a skiff traveling at more than 40 knots and led to the recovery of more than 1.5 tonnes of illegal drugs. HMS Lancaster and its air and boarding teams intercepted three fast skiffs after they were detected during routine surveillance, officials said.

The operation began when a Wildcat helicopter from 815 Naval Air Squadron spotted the three suspicious skiffs and relayed their movements to Lancaster. A Peregrine minihelicopter drone provided live video to the ship’s operations room while the Wildcat refuelled and embarked a Maritime Sniper Team from 42 Commando, the Royal Marines unit specialising in boarding operations. When the helicopter rejoined the chase, two of the skiffs were abandoned by their crews and a third attempted to flee and jettison cargo into the sea.

Crew on the Wildcat used a manoeuvre of flying backwards to provide a stable firing platform for the sniper, who fired a single round that struck the outboard engine and neutralised the vessel, officials said. Crews from the...