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The audacious escape of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado entailed a long, “scary” and very wet boat journey in the dead of night, according to the American man who says he led the operation.

The Dangerous Nocturnal Crossing

The rescue organizer, who leads a rescue nonprofit, detailed the operation in a newly published interview. “It was dangerous. It was scary,” stated Stern, a US special forces veteran, recounting rough and moonless seas that also provided ideal concealment for the escape.

“The sea conditions were ideal for us, but certainly not water that you would want to be on ... the bigger the swells, the more difficult radar detection becomes,” Stern said.

He recalled rendezvousing with Machado offshore after she departed from Venezuela, where she had been lying low since August 2024 due to fear of persecution by the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Step-by-Step Extraction

She boarded his boat for a half-day trip to an undisclosed location to catch a plane, in a mission orchestrated just days before. The operation occurred at midnight – minimal moonlight, a little bit of cloud cover, very hard to see, vessels running dark. All of us were pretty wet. My team and I were soaked to the gills. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She had a very arduous journey,” Stern noted.

Describing her condition, he commented, She was elated. She was thrilled. She was exhausted,” and noted about two dozen people were actively participating within his organization.

Verification and Disguise

Spokespeople for Machado verified that Stern’s foundation was behind the operation, which began on Tuesday. This report follows earlier stories that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to leave 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 region.

Financing and American Involvement

He told media the endeavor 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 US military regarding locations and strategy, primarily to prevent being mistakenly fired upon.

Future Plans and Inspiration

The opposition leader stated she had American backing to depart Venezuela. She has announced plans to return home, though it is not clear how or when.

Stern indicated his group would not be involved in a return mission, as it focuses exclusively on getting people out of countries, not bringing them back. “She must decide that and for her to decide. But I think she should not go back. Yet she is determined. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.