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The daring getaway of political leader María Corina Machado involved a long, “scary” and soaking sea crossing in the pitch black of night, according to the US veteran who says he led the mission.

A Perilous Nocturnal Voyage

Bryan Stern, who leads a rescue nonprofit, outlined the operation in a recent media appearance. “It was dangerous. It was terrifying,” stated Stern, a US special forces veteran, describing rough and moonless seas that also provided ideal concealment for the flight.

“The sea conditions were ideal for us, but not water you'd choose to sail on ... the bigger the swells, the more difficult radar detection becomes,” Stern said.

He described rendezvousing with Machado offshore after she departed from Venezuela, where she had been lying low 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 journey to an undisclosed location to catch a plane, in a mission planned just four days earlier. The operation occurred at midnight – very little moon, some cloud coverage, 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 had a very arduous journey,” Stern noted.

Describing her condition, he commented, She was elated. She was very excited. She was very tired,” adding that about two dozen people were directly involved within his team.

Confirmation and Concealment

Spokespeople for Machado confirmed that Stern’s foundation was responsible for the extraction, which began on Tuesday. This report comes after previous reporting that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to leave her hideout in a suburb of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Stern did not divulge details about the ground segment, citing his company’s future work in the region.

Financing and US Involvement

He stated publicly the endeavor was financed by “a few generous donors” – with no US government figures involved. Official US funds were not used, at least not that I know of,” Stern said.

He said, however, that his group did coordinate informally with the US military regarding positioning and plans, primarily to prevent being targeted by airstrikes.

Future Plans and Inspiration

The opposition leader stated she had US support to leave Venezuela. She has announced plans 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 extracting individuals from countries, not bringing them back. “She must decide that and for her to decide. But I think she should not go back. But she wants to. Maria is truly inspirational,” he said.