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This audacious escape of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado involved a lengthy, frightening and very wet sea crossing in the dead of night, as detailed by the American man who claims to have commanded the mission.

A Dangerous Nocturnal Voyage

Bryan Stern, who heads a rescue nonprofit, detailed the mission in a recent interview. It was perilous. It was terrifying,” said Stern, an ex-special forces operative, describing rough and moonless seas that simultaneously offered convenient cover for the escape.

“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,” Stern said.

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

The Step-by-Step Extraction

She boarded his boat for a 13- to 14-hour trip to an secret location to board a flight, as part of orchestrated just four days earlier. “This was in the middle of the night – very little moon, a little bit of cloud cover, extremely low visibility, boats have no lights. Everyone was quite damp. My team and I were soaked to the gills. She was also chilled and wet. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern noted.

Describing her condition, he commented, “She was very happy. She was thrilled. She was very tired,” adding that about two dozen people were directly involved within his organization.

Verification and Disguise

A representative for Machado confirmed that Stern’s company was responsible for the extraction, which began on Tuesday. This report follows earlier stories that Machado used a wig and costume to flee her hideout in a outskirts of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

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

Funding and US Role

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, to my knowledge,” Stern asserted.

He said, however, that his group did “unofficially collaborate” with the American armed forces regarding positioning and plans, primarily to prevent being targeted by airstrikes.

Future Plans and Admiration

Machado said she had American backing to leave Venezuela. She has declared her intention 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 focuses exclusively on getting people out of countries, not in. “She must decide that and for her to decide. Personally, I advise against returning. But she wants to. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.