With a single shot, Royal Marines took out a drugs boat speeding across the Gulf of Oman as Plymouth-based frigate HMS Lancaster dealt a £35m blow to the illegal narcotics trade.

HMS Lancaster is based in Plymouth but has been operating out of the Royal Navy's Middle East hub in Bahrain since late 2022.

A sniper from the Royal Marines took out the engine of the drug-smuggling gang's boat with a single shot.

The Royal Navy said: "Commando snipers brought the skiff – zipping over the waves at speeds in excess of 40 knots while its crew tried to ditch their illegal cargo – to an immediate halt with a bullseye shot to knock out the boat’s engine.

"The snipers took aim from a Wildcat helicopter launched from the warship to intercept three suspect craft in one of the most dramatic

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