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This daring escape of political leader María Corina Machado entailed a lengthy, frightening and very wet sea crossing in the dead of night, according to the American man who claims to have commanded the mission.

The Dangerous Nocturnal Voyage

Bryan Stern, who heads a rescue nonprofit, outlined the mission in a newly published interview. It was perilous. It was scary,” said Stern, a US special forces veteran, describing dark and choppy conditions that simultaneously offered ideal concealment for the flight.

“The ocean was perfect for our purposes, but not water you'd choose to sail on ... the higher the waves, the more difficult radar detection becomes,” he remarked.

He described rendezvousing with Machado offshore after she left Venezuela, where she had been in hiding since August 2024 due to fear of targeting by the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

A Step-by-Step Extraction

Machado embarked on his boat for a half-day journey to an secret location to board a flight, in a mission orchestrated just four days earlier. The operation occurred at midnight – very little moon, some cloud coverage, extremely low visibility, boats have no lights. Everyone was quite damp. My crew and I were drenched. She was also chilled and wet. She had a very arduous journey,” Stern added.

Describing her condition, he said, “She was very happy. She was thrilled. She was exhausted,” and noted about two dozen people were actively participating within his organization.

Verification and Concealment

A representative for Machado confirmed that Stern’s foundation was behind the operation, which began on Tuesday. This report follows earlier stories that Machado used a wig and costume to leave her safe house in a suburb 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 Involvement

He stated publicly the mission was financed by “a few generous donors” – 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, primarily to prevent being mistakenly fired upon.

Future Plans and Admiration

The opposition leader stated she had US support to depart Venezuela. She has declared her intention to return home, though the specifics remain uncertain how or when.

Stern said his group would play no part in a return mission, 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. Maria is truly inspirational,” he concluded.