🔗 Share this article

This audacious getaway 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 US veteran who says he led the mission.

A Dangerous Nocturnal Voyage

The rescue organizer, who heads a rescue nonprofit, outlined the mission in a newly published interview. “It was dangerous. It was terrifying,” stated Stern, an ex-special forces operative, describing dark and choppy conditions that also provided ideal concealment 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,” Stern said.

He described rendezvousing with Machado offshore after she departed from Venezuela, where she had been lying low for over a year due to fear of persecution by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Detailed Extraction

She boarded his boat for a 13- to 14-hour trip to an undisclosed location to board a flight, as part of orchestrated just days before. “This was in the middle of the night – very little moon, a little bit of cloud cover, very hard to see, boats have no lights. Everyone was quite damp. My team and I were soaked to the gills. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern noted.

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

Confirmation and Disguise

Spokespeople for Machado confirmed that Stern’s foundation was behind the extraction, which commenced earlier in the week. This account comes after previous reporting that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to leave her hideout in a outskirts of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Stern did not divulge details about the land operation, citing his organization's ongoing operations in the country.

Funding and American Role

He stated publicly the endeavor was financed by “several benefactors” – none of whom were US officials involved. “The US government did not contribute a single penny, at least not that I know of,” Stern asserted.

He said, however, that his group did “unofficially collaborate” with the American armed forces regarding locations and strategy, largely to avoid being targeted by airstrikes.

Next Steps and Admiration

Machado said she had US support to depart Venezuela. She has declared her intention to go back, though it is not clear the method or timing.

Stern indicated his group would play no part in a return mission, as it focuses exclusively on extracting individuals from countries, not in. “That’s for her to determine for herself. But I think she should not go back. But she wants to. Maria is truly inspirational,” he concluded.