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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, as detailed by the US veteran who says he led the mission.

The Dangerous Nocturnal Crossing

Bryan Stern, who leads a nonprofit rescue organisation, detailed the operation 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 simultaneously offered ideal concealment 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 harder it is for radar to see,” Stern said.

He described meeting Machado out at sea after she left Venezuela, where she had been in hiding for over a year due to fear of persecution by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

A Detailed Escape Plan

Machado embarked on his boat for a 13- to 14-hour trip to an undisclosed location to catch a plane, in a mission 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. Everyone was quite damp. My team and I were soaked to the gills. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She had a very arduous journey,” Stern noted.

Regarding her state, he commented, She was elated. She was very excited. She was exhausted,” and noted about twenty-four people were directly involved within his team.

Verification and Concealment

A representative for Machado confirmed that Stern’s foundation was behind the extraction, which began on Tuesday. This report comes after earlier stories that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to flee her safe house in a outskirts of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Stern did not divulge specifics about the land operation, citing his company’s future work in the region.

Financing and American Role

He told media the endeavor was financed by “a few generous donors” – with no US government figures 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, largely to avoid being targeted by airstrikes.

Future Plans and Admiration

Machado said she had American backing to depart Venezuela. She has declared her intention to go back, though it is not clear how or when.

Stern indicated his group would play no part in that operation, as it worked only on getting people out of countries, not bringing them back. “She must decide that and for her to decide. But I think she should not go back. But she wants to. She is a genuine inspiration,” he said.