Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Wednesday that criminals around the world "are on notice" after U.S. Coast Guard tactical teams carried out predawn boarding operations on "two 'ghost fleet' tanker ships."

"Both vessels — the Motor Tanker Bella I and the Motor Tanker Sophia — were either last docked in Venezuela or en route to it," Noem wrote in a post on X, adding that one was seized "in the North Atlantic Sea and one in international waters near the Caribbean."

The operations, which took place within hours of each other, were the result of "President [Donald] Trump's bold and visionary leadership," Noem said. Coast Guard teams worked in close coordination with counterparts across the federal government, including the Justice and State departments, to apprehend the tankers in the back-to-back seizures.

"You can run, but you can't hide," Noem wrote. "We will never relent in our mission to protect the American people and disrupt the funding of narco terrorism wherever we find it, period."

According to Noem, one of the tankers — the Bella I — had been trying to evade U.S. authorities for weeks. She said the vessel even changed its flag and painted a new name on the hull while being pursued, "in a desperate and failed attempt to escape justice."

The crew of the USCGC Munro tracked the ship across open waters and through harsh weather conditions, Noem said, keeping constant watch until the boarding could be executed.

"The heroic crew ... pursued this vessel across the high seas and through treacherous storms," Noem wrote, praising their "determination and patriotism."

"These brave men and women deserve our nation's thanks for their selfless devotion to duty," she said in the post.

The Coast Guard's seizure of both vessels was not merely a routine interdiction, according to Noem. It was a statement of strength and a direct strike against the networks that bankroll narco-terrorism and corruption around the world.

DHS did not release details about what was found aboard the vessels or whether any arrests were made.

In a post on social media, U.S. European Command confirmed that the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro tracked the Bella I, which had been renamed the Marinera, ahead of its seizure "pursuant to a warrant issued by a U.S. federal court."

The boarding operations came just days after U.S. military forces captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife in a nighttime raid on the country's capital of Caracas.

"This is our country's greatest fighting force at their best," Noem said. "This is America first at sea."

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