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The audacious getaway of political leader María Corina Machado involved a lengthy, frightening and soaking sea crossing in the dead of night, as detailed by the US veteran who says he led the operation.

A Perilous Nocturnal Voyage

Bryan Stern, who heads a nonprofit rescue organisation, detailed the mission in a newly published media appearance. “It was dangerous. It was scary,” said Stern, an ex-special forces operative, describing dark and choppy conditions that simultaneously offered ideal concealment for the escape.

“The sea conditions were ideal for us, but certainly not water that you would want to be on ... the higher the waves, the more difficult radar detection becomes,” he remarked.

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

A Step-by-Step Extraction

She boarded his boat for a half-day trip to an secret location to board a flight, as part of planned just days before. “This was in the middle of the night – minimal moonlight, some cloud coverage, very hard to see, vessels running dark. All of us were pretty wet. My team and I were soaked to the gills. She was also chilled and wet. She had a very arduous journey,” Stern added.

Regarding her state, he said, “She was very happy. She was very excited. She was very tired,” adding that about twenty-four people were actively participating within his organization.

Verification and Concealment

A representative for Machado confirmed that Stern’s company was responsible for the extraction, which commenced earlier in the week. This account comes after previous reporting that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to leave her hideout in a suburb of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

The veteran declined to share specifics about the ground segment, referencing his organization's ongoing operations in the region.

Funding and American Role

He told media the mission was financed by “several benefactors” – with no 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 locations and strategy, largely to avoid being mistakenly fired upon.

Next Steps and Inspiration

Machado said she had US support to leave Venezuela. She has announced plans 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. “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.