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The audacious getaway of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado involved a long, “scary” and soaking boat journey in the pitch black of night, according to the American man who claims to have commanded the mission.

The Perilous Nighttime Crossing

Bryan Stern, who heads a rescue nonprofit, detailed the mission in a recent interview. It was perilous. It was scary,” said Stern, a US special forces veteran, describing rough and moonless seas that also provided convenient cover for the flight.

“The sea conditions were ideal for us, but not water you'd choose to sail on ... the bigger the swells, the more difficult radar detection becomes,” he remarked.

He described rendezvousing with Machado offshore after she departed from Venezuela, where she had been in hiding since August 2024 fearing persecution by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

A Step-by-Step Extraction

She boarded his boat for a half-day trip to an secret location to catch a plane, in a mission planned just days before. “This was in the middle of the night – very little moon, a little bit of cloud cover, extremely low visibility, vessels running dark. Everyone was quite damp. My crew and I were drenched. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern noted.

Describing her condition, he commented, “She was very happy. She was very excited. She was exhausted,” adding that about twenty-four people were directly involved within his team.

Confirmation and Disguise

A representative for Machado confirmed that Stern’s foundation was behind the operation, which commenced earlier in the week. This report comes after previous reporting that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to leave her safe house in a suburb of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

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

Funding and US Involvement

He told media the mission was financed by “several benefactors” – none of whom were US government figures 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 positioning and plans, primarily to prevent being mistakenly fired upon.

Future Plans and Admiration

The opposition leader stated she had American backing to leave Venezuela. She has declared her intention to return home, though it is not clear the method or timing.

Stern indicated his group would not be involved in that operation, as it worked only on extracting individuals from countries, not bringing them back. “That’s for her to determine and for her to decide. But I think she should not go back. Yet she is determined. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.