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This audacious escape of political leader María Corina Machado involved a long, “scary” and very wet sea crossing in the pitch black of night, according to the US veteran who claims to have commanded the operation.

A Perilous Nighttime Crossing

Bryan Stern, who heads a rescue nonprofit, detailed the operation in a newly published interview. “It was dangerous. 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,” he remarked.

He recalled rendezvousing with Machado offshore after she departed from the country, where she had been in hiding for over a year fearing targeting by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

A Detailed Escape Plan

She boarded his boat for a 13- to 14-hour journey to an undisclosed location to board a flight, as part of orchestrated just four days earlier. The operation occurred at midnight – very little moon, a little bit of cloud cover, extremely low visibility, vessels running dark. All of us were pretty wet. My crew and I were drenched. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern noted.

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

Verification and Concealment

A representative for Machado confirmed that Stern’s company was behind the operation, which commenced earlier in the week. This account follows previous reporting that Machado used a wig and costume to leave her hideout in a suburb of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

The veteran declined to share details about the land operation, citing his company’s future work in the country.

Funding and US Role

He stated publicly the mission was funded through “a few generous donors” – none of whom were US government figures involved. “The US government did not contribute a single penny, to my knowledge,” Stern said.

He clarified, though, that his group did coordinate informally with the American armed forces regarding locations and strategy, primarily to prevent being mistakenly fired upon.

Next Steps and Admiration

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

Stern indicated his group would play no part in that operation, 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. But she wants to. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.