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This daring getaway of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado entailed a lengthy, frightening and very wet sea crossing in the pitch black of night, as detailed by the American man who claims to have commanded the mission.

The Perilous Nocturnal Crossing

The rescue organizer, who leads a rescue nonprofit, outlined the operation in a recent interview. It was perilous. It was scary,” stated Stern, a US special forces veteran, describing dark and choppy conditions that also provided ideal concealment for the escape.

“The ocean was perfect for our purposes, but not water you'd choose to sail on ... the bigger the swells, the more difficult radar detection becomes,” Stern said.

He described rendezvousing with Machado offshore after she left the country, where she had been in hiding since August 2024 fearing persecution by the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

A Step-by-Step Escape Plan

Machado embarked on his boat for a half-day journey to an undisclosed location to board a flight, in a mission orchestrated just four days earlier. The operation occurred at midnight – very little moon, a little bit of cloud cover, extremely low visibility, boats have no lights. Everyone was quite damp. My crew and I were drenched. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern added.

Regarding her state, he commented, “She was very happy. She was thrilled. She was exhausted,” adding that about two dozen people were directly involved within his team.

Confirmation and Concealment

A representative for Machado confirmed that Stern’s foundation was responsible for the operation, which commenced earlier in the week. This report follows 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 specifics about the ground segment, citing his organization's ongoing operations in the region.

Financing and US Involvement

He stated publicly the mission was financed by “a few generous donors” – none of whom were US officials involved. Official US funds were not used, at least not that I know of,” Stern said.

He said, however, that his group did coordinate informally with the American armed forces regarding positioning and plans, largely to avoid being mistakenly fired upon.

Next Steps and Inspiration

The opposition leader stated she had US support to leave Venezuela. She has announced plans to go back, though the specifics remain uncertain the method or timing.

Stern indicated his group would play no part in a return mission, as it worked only on getting people out of countries, not in. “She must decide that for herself. But I think she should not go back. Yet she is determined. She is a genuine inspiration,” he said.