Trump Shares Dramatic 3-Minute DHS Video of US Coast Guard Seizing Venezuela-Linked Oil Tanker

Washington: The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday released a dramatic 3-minute video showing the U.S. Coast Guard conducting back-to-back predawn operations to seize two oil tankers linked to Venezuela in international waters, officials said. 

In the footage, Coast Guard tactical teams can be seen boarding the Motor Tanker Bella I and the Motor Tanker Sophia, which U.S. authorities describe as part of a so-called “ghost fleet” of sanctioned vessels used to evade international restrictions.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, in a post on social media alongside the video, lauded the operation under President Donald Trump’s leadership, saying the coordinated boardings were meticulously planned and executed within hours of each other. The video shows helicopters and Coast Guard teams approaching and securing the vessels at sea.

According to U.S. officials, the Bella I, which had been pursued for weeks, changed its name and flag in a bid to avoid capture — efforts that ultimately failed as the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Munro maintained pursuit across treacherous seas.

The Sophia was intercepted in international waters near the Caribbean and taken into U.S. custody without incident, the Southern Command said.

“These brave men and women deserve our nation’s thanks for their selfless devotion to duty”, Noem wrote, adding that the message to the world’s criminals was clear: “You can run, but you can’t hide”.

The seizures are part of an intensified U.S. campaign to enforce sanctions and disrupt illicit oil shipments linked to Venezuela and other sanctioned entities. The operations have already drawn international attention and condemnation from Russia, which has characterized the actions as illegal under maritime law.

The video release comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions and follows a series of U.S. efforts to cut off revenue streams that Washington says fund narcoterrorism and other illicit activities.

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