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This audacious escape of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado involved a lengthy, frightening and soaking boat journey in the pitch black of night, as detailed by the US veteran who claims to have commanded the operation.

The Perilous Nocturnal Voyage

The rescue organizer, who heads a nonprofit rescue organisation, outlined the operation in a recent interview. It was perilous. It was terrifying,” said Stern, a US special forces veteran, describing dark and choppy conditions that also provided convenient cover for the escape.

“The ocean was perfect for our purposes, but not water you'd choose to sail on ... the bigger the swells, the harder it is for radar to see,” Stern said.

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

A Detailed Extraction

She boarded his boat for a 13- to 14-hour trip to an secret location to catch a plane, in a mission orchestrated just four days earlier. “This was in the middle of the night – very little moon, some cloud coverage, very hard to see, boats have no lights. All of us were pretty wet. My team and I were soaked to the gills. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She had a very arduous journey,” Stern noted.

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

Confirmation and Disguise

Spokespeople for Machado verified that Stern’s company was responsible for the extraction, which commenced earlier in the week. This report comes after previous reporting that Machado used a wig and costume to flee her safe house in a suburb of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Stern did not divulge specifics about the ground segment, citing his organization's ongoing operations in the region.

Funding and American Involvement

He stated publicly the mission was financed by “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 said, however, that his group did “unofficially collaborate” with the American armed forces regarding positioning and plans, largely to avoid being targeted by airstrikes.

Future Plans and Inspiration

The opposition leader stated she had American backing to leave Venezuela. She has announced plans to go back, though the specifics remain uncertain how or when.

Stern said his group would not be involved in that operation, as it worked only on getting people out of countries, not in. “That’s for her to determine and for her to decide. But I think she should not go back. But she wants to. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.