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The audacious escape of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado entailed a lengthy, “scary” and very wet boat journey in the pitch black of night, according to the American man who claims to have commanded the operation.

A Dangerous Nighttime Crossing

The rescue organizer, who heads a nonprofit rescue organisation, outlined the operation in a newly published interview. It was perilous. It was scary,” said Stern, a US special forces veteran, recounting dark and choppy conditions that simultaneously offered ideal concealment for the escape.

“The ocean was perfect for our purposes, but not water you'd choose to sail on ... the higher the waves, the harder it is for radar to see,” he remarked.

He described meeting Machado out at sea after she left Venezuela, where she had been lying low since August 2024 fearing targeting by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Detailed Extraction

She boarded his boat for a half-day trip to an secret location to catch a plane, in a mission planned just four days earlier. “This was in the middle of the night – minimal moonlight, a little bit of cloud cover, very hard to see, vessels running dark. All of us were pretty wet. My crew and I were drenched. She was also chilled and wet. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern noted.

Describing her condition, he commented, She was elated. She was very excited. She was very tired,” and noted about twenty-four people were directly involved within his team.

Confirmation and Disguise

A representative for Machado confirmed that Stern’s company was responsible for the extraction, which began on Tuesday. This account comes after previous reporting that Machado used a wig and costume to flee her hideout in a outskirts of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

The veteran declined to share specifics about the ground segment, citing his company’s future work in the country.

Financing and US Involvement

He stated publicly the endeavor was funded through “several benefactors” – with no US government figures involved. “The US government did not contribute a single penny, to my knowledge,” Stern asserted.

He clarified, though, 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

The opposition leader stated she had US support to leave Venezuela. She has announced plans to return home, though it is not clear the method or timing.

Stern said his group would not be involved in a return mission, as it worked only on extracting individuals from countries, not in. “That’s for her to determine and for her to decide. Personally, I advise against returning. But she wants to. Maria is truly inspirational,” he said.