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This audacious escape of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado involved a long, frightening and very wet sea crossing in the dead of night, according to the US veteran who says he led the mission.

A Perilous Nighttime Voyage

Bryan Stern, who heads a nonprofit rescue organisation, detailed the mission in a recent interview. “It was dangerous. It was terrifying,” said Stern, a US special forces veteran, recounting dark and choppy conditions that also provided convenient cover for the flight.

“The sea conditions were ideal for us, but not water you'd choose to sail on ... the higher the waves, the more difficult radar detection becomes,” Stern said.

He recalled rendezvousing with Machado offshore after she left the country, where she had been lying low since August 2024 due to fear of targeting by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Step-by-Step Escape Plan

She boarded his boat for a 13- to 14-hour trip to an undisclosed location to board a flight, in a mission planned just four days earlier. “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 crew and I were drenched. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern noted.

Regarding her state, he commented, “She was very happy. She was very excited. She was exhausted,” adding that about twenty-four people were directly involved within his organization.

Verification and Concealment

Spokespeople for Machado confirmed that Stern’s foundation was behind the operation, which commenced earlier in the week. This report comes after earlier stories that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to flee her hideout in a outskirts of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

The veteran declined to share details about the ground segment, citing his organization's ongoing operations in the country.

Funding and US Involvement

He told media the endeavor was financed by “a few generous donors” – with no US government figures involved. “The US government did not contribute a single penny, at least not that I know of,” 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.

Next Steps and Admiration

Machado said she had US support to depart Venezuela. She has announced plans to return home, though the specifics remain uncertain how or when.

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 for herself. Personally, I advise against returning. Yet she is determined. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.