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This daring getaway of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado involved a long, frightening and very wet boat journey in the dead of night, according to the American man who says he led the mission.

A Dangerous Nocturnal Crossing

Bryan Stern, who leads a rescue nonprofit, outlined the operation in a newly published media appearance. It was perilous. It was terrifying,” stated Stern, a US special forces veteran, recounting rough and moonless seas that also provided convenient cover for the flight.

“The ocean was perfect for our purposes, but certainly not water that you would want to be on ... the bigger the swells, the more difficult radar detection becomes,” he remarked.

He described rendezvousing with Machado offshore after she left Venezuela, 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 13- to 14-hour journey to an undisclosed location to board a flight, in a mission planned just days before. The operation occurred at midnight – very little moon, a little bit of cloud cover, extremely low visibility, vessels running dark. All of us were pretty wet. My crew and I were drenched. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern noted.

Regarding her state, he commented, She was elated. She was thrilled. She was very tired,” and noted about two dozen people were actively participating within his team.

Confirmation and Disguise

A representative for Machado verified that Stern’s foundation was behind the extraction, which commenced earlier in the week. This report comes after previous reporting that Machado used a wig and costume to leave her hideout in a suburb of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Stern did not divulge details about the ground segment, referencing his company’s future work in the region.

Financing and US Involvement

He told media the mission was financed by “a few generous donors” – none of whom were US officials involved. Official US funds were not used, to my knowledge,” Stern asserted.

He clarified, though, that his group did coordinate informally with the US military regarding locations and strategy, largely to avoid being mistakenly fired upon.

Next Steps and Admiration

The opposition leader stated she had US support to depart Venezuela. She has announced plans to go back, though the specifics remain uncertain the method or timing.

Stern indicated his group would not be involved in that operation, as it worked only on getting people out of countries, not bringing them back. “That’s for her to determine and for her to decide. Personally, I advise against returning. But she wants to. Maria is truly inspirational,” he said.