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The audacious escape of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado involved a long, frightening and very wet boat journey in the pitch black of night, according to the US veteran who claims to have commanded the mission.

A Perilous Nighttime Voyage

Bryan Stern, who leads a nonprofit rescue organisation, detailed the mission in a newly published media appearance. It was perilous. It was scary,” stated Stern, an ex-special forces operative, describing dark and choppy conditions that also provided convenient cover for the escape.

“The ocean was perfect for our purposes, but certainly not water that you would want to be on ... the higher the waves, the harder it is for radar to see,” he remarked.

He described meeting Machado out at sea after she left the country, where she had been lying low since August 2024 due to fear of targeting by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Step-by-Step Extraction

Machado embarked on his boat for a half-day journey to an secret location to catch a plane, as part of orchestrated just four days earlier. “This was in the middle of the night – minimal moonlight, a little bit of cloud cover, extremely low visibility, vessels running dark. All of us were pretty wet. My team and I were soaked to the gills. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern added.

Regarding her state, he said, “She was very happy. She was thrilled. She was exhausted,” and noted about twenty-four people were actively participating within his team.

Confirmation and Concealment

Spokespeople for Machado confirmed that Stern’s foundation was responsible for the operation, which commenced earlier in the week. This account follows earlier stories that Machado used a wig and costume to flee her safe house in a outskirts of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Stern did not divulge specifics about the land operation, referencing his organization's ongoing operations in the country.

Financing and American Involvement

He told media the mission was funded through “several benefactors” – none of whom were US government figures involved. “The US government did not contribute a single penny, at least not that I know of,” Stern said.

He clarified, though, that his group did “unofficially collaborate” with the American armed forces regarding locations and strategy, largely to avoid being mistakenly fired upon.

Next Steps and Admiration

Machado said she had US support to depart Venezuela. She has declared her intention to go back, though the specifics remain uncertain the method or timing.

Stern said his group would play no part in that operation, as it focuses exclusively on extracting individuals from countries, not in. “She must decide that and for her to decide. But I think she should not go back. Yet she is determined. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.