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This daring escape of political leader María Corina Machado involved a long, frightening and very wet sea crossing in the pitch black of night, as detailed by the US veteran who says he led the operation.

A Dangerous Nocturnal Crossing

Bryan Stern, who heads a rescue nonprofit, outlined the mission in a newly published media appearance. It was perilous. It was scary,” stated Stern, an ex-special forces operative, recounting rough and moonless seas that also provided ideal concealment for the flight.

“The sea conditions were ideal for us, but not water you'd choose to sail on ... the bigger the swells, the harder it is for radar to see,” Stern said.

He recalled rendezvousing with Machado offshore after she departed from the country, where she had been in hiding for over a year fearing persecution by the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

A Step-by-Step Escape Plan

She boarded his boat for a half-day journey to an secret location to catch a plane, as part of orchestrated just four days earlier. The operation occurred at midnight – very little moon, a little bit of cloud cover, 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 very happy. She was thrilled. She was very tired,” and noted about twenty-four people were directly involved within his team.

Confirmation and Concealment

Spokespeople for Machado verified that Stern’s company was behind the extraction, which commenced earlier in the week. This account follows previous reporting that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to flee her safe house in a suburb of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

The veteran declined to share details about the land operation, citing his organization's ongoing operations in the region.

Funding and American Role

He told media the mission was financed by “several benefactors” – none of whom were US government figures involved. Official US funds were not used, to my knowledge,” Stern asserted.

He clarified, though, that his group did “unofficially collaborate” with the American armed forces regarding locations and strategy, primarily to prevent being mistakenly fired upon.

Next Steps and Admiration

The opposition leader stated she had American backing to leave Venezuela. She has announced plans to go back, though it is not clear the method or timing.

Stern indicated his group would play no part in that operation, as it focuses exclusively on getting people out of countries, not in. “That’s for her to determine and for her to decide. Personally, I advise against returning. Yet she is determined. She is a genuine inspiration,” he said.