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This audacious escape of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado entailed a lengthy, frightening and soaking boat journey in the pitch black of night, according to the US veteran who claims to have commanded the operation.

A Perilous Nighttime Voyage

The rescue organizer, who heads a rescue nonprofit, outlined the operation in a recent interview. It was perilous. It was scary,” said Stern, an ex-special forces operative, describing dark and choppy conditions that simultaneously offered ideal concealment for the escape.

“The ocean was perfect for our purposes, but certainly not water that you would want to be on ... the bigger the swells, the more difficult radar detection becomes,” he remarked.

He recalled meeting Machado out at sea after she departed from the country, where she had been in hiding for over a year fearing targeting by the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

A Step-by-Step Extraction

She boarded his boat for a 13- to 14-hour trip to an undisclosed location to catch a plane, as part of orchestrated just days before. The operation occurred at midnight – very little moon, some cloud coverage, extremely low visibility, 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 commented, She was elated. She was thrilled. She was exhausted,” and noted about twenty-four people were directly involved within his team.

Confirmation and Concealment

A representative for Machado verified that Stern’s company was responsible for the extraction, which commenced earlier in the week. This account follows previous reporting that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to flee her hideout in a suburb of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Stern did not divulge 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 “several benefactors” – with no US government figures involved. “The US government did not contribute a single penny, to my knowledge,” Stern said.

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

Next Steps and Admiration

The opposition leader stated she had US support to leave Venezuela. She has declared her intention to go back, though it is not clear the method or timing.

Stern said his group would play no part in that operation, as it focuses exclusively on getting people out of countries, not in. “She must decide that and for her to decide. But I think she should not go back. But she wants to. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.