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The daring escape of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado involved a lengthy, frightening and very wet boat journey in the pitch black of night, as detailed by the American man who claims to have commanded the mission.

The Dangerous Nocturnal Voyage

The rescue organizer, who heads a nonprofit rescue organisation, detailed the mission in a recent media appearance. “It was dangerous. It was scary,” stated Stern, an ex-special forces operative, describing dark and choppy conditions that also provided convenient cover for the flight.

“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 left Venezuela, where she had been in hiding since August 2024 fearing persecution by the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Detailed Extraction

Machado embarked on his boat for a 13- to 14-hour trip 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 team and I were soaked to the gills. She was also chilled and wet. She had a very arduous journey,” Stern noted.

Regarding her state, he commented, She was elated. She was very excited. She was very tired,” adding that about twenty-four people were directly involved within his team.

Confirmation and Concealment

A representative for Machado confirmed that Stern’s foundation was responsible for the extraction, which commenced earlier in the week. This account comes after earlier stories that Machado used a wig and costume to leave her hideout in a outskirts of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Stern did not divulge specifics about the land operation, referencing his company’s future work in the country.

Financing and American Role

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

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

Next Steps and Admiration

Machado said she had American backing to leave Venezuela. She has announced plans to return home, though it is not clear the method or timing.

Stern indicated his group would not be involved 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. But she wants to. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.