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This daring getaway of political leader María Corina Machado entailed a lengthy, frightening and soaking sea crossing in the pitch black of night, as detailed by the US veteran who says he led the operation.

A Perilous Nighttime Voyage

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

“The ocean was perfect for our purposes, but certainly not water that you would want to be on ... the higher the waves, the harder it is for radar to see,” he remarked.

He described rendezvousing with Machado offshore after she departed from the country, where she had been lying low since August 2024 fearing persecution by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

A Detailed Extraction

Machado embarked on his boat for a 13- to 14-hour journey to an secret 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. Everyone was quite damp. My crew and I were drenched. She was also chilled and wet. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern noted.

Regarding her state, he said, “She was very happy. She was very excited. She was exhausted,” and noted about twenty-four people were actively participating within his team.

Confirmation and Concealment

A representative for Machado confirmed that Stern’s foundation was responsible for the extraction, which began on Tuesday. This report follows earlier stories that Machado used a wig and costume to flee her safe house 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 country.

Funding and American Involvement

He stated publicly the mission was financed by “several benefactors” – with no US officials involved. “The US government did not contribute a single penny, to my knowledge,” Stern asserted.

He said, however, that his group did coordinate informally 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 American backing to depart Venezuela. She has announced plans to go back, though the specifics remain uncertain how or when.

Stern said his group would not be involved in that operation, as it worked only on getting people out of countries, not in. “That’s for her to determine and for her to decide. Personally, I advise against returning. But she wants to. She is a genuine inspiration,” he said.