🔗 Share this article

This audacious escape of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado entailed 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 operation.

A Perilous Nighttime Voyage

Bryan Stern, who heads a nonprofit rescue organisation, detailed the mission in a newly published interview. It was perilous. It was scary,” said Stern, an ex-special forces operative, describing rough and moonless seas that simultaneously offered ideal concealment for the flight.

“The ocean was perfect for our purposes, but not water you'd choose to sail on ... the higher the waves, the more difficult radar detection becomes,” he remarked.

He recalled meeting Machado out at sea after she departed from the country, where she had been lying low since August 2024 fearing persecution by the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Step-by-Step Extraction

She boarded his boat for a half-day trip to an undisclosed location to board a flight, in a mission planned just four days earlier. “This was in the middle of the night – minimal moonlight, some cloud coverage, very hard to see, vessels running dark. Everyone was quite damp. My crew and I were drenched. She was also chilled and wet. She had a very arduous journey,” Stern added.

Regarding her state, he commented, She was elated. She was thrilled. She was exhausted,” adding that about twenty-four people were actively participating within his team.

Confirmation and Disguise

Spokespeople for Machado verified that Stern’s company was behind the extraction, which began on Tuesday. This account follows earlier stories that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to leave her hideout in a outskirts of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

The veteran declined to share specifics about the land operation, referencing his company’s future work in the region.

Financing and US Role

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

He said, however, that his group did coordinate informally with the American armed forces regarding locations and strategy, primarily to prevent being targeted by airstrikes.

Next Steps and Admiration

The opposition leader stated she had American backing to leave Venezuela. She has declared her intention to return home, though the specifics remain uncertain the method or timing.

Stern indicated his group would play no part in a return mission, as it worked only on getting people out of countries, not in. “That’s for her to determine and for her to decide. Personally, I advise against returning. But she wants to. She is a genuine inspiration,” he said.