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This daring getaway of political leader María Corina Machado entailed a lengthy, frightening and very wet boat journey in the pitch black of night, as detailed by the American man who says he led the mission.

A Perilous Nocturnal Voyage

The rescue organizer, who leads a rescue nonprofit, detailed the mission in a recent interview. “It was dangerous. It was scary,” stated Stern, an ex-special forces operative, describing dark and choppy conditions that also provided convenient cover for the flight.

“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 described meeting Machado out at sea after she departed from Venezuela, where she had been lying low for over a year fearing persecution by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

A Detailed Escape Plan

Machado embarked on his boat for a 13- to 14-hour trip to an undisclosed location to board a flight, in a mission orchestrated just four days earlier. The operation occurred at midnight – very little moon, some cloud coverage, 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 endured a grueling passage,” Stern noted.

Describing her condition, he commented, She was elated. She was thrilled. She was very tired,” adding that about two dozen people were actively participating within his team.

Verification and Concealment

A representative for Machado confirmed that Stern’s foundation was responsible for the operation, which commenced earlier in the week. This account comes after earlier stories that Machado used a wig and costume to flee her safe house in a suburb of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

The veteran declined to share details about the land operation, citing his organization's ongoing operations in the country.

Financing and US Role

He stated publicly the endeavor was financed by “several benefactors” – with no US government figures involved. “The US government did not contribute a single penny, at least not that I know of,” Stern said.

He said, however, that his group did “unofficially collaborate” with the American armed forces regarding locations and strategy, primarily to prevent being mistakenly fired upon.

Future Plans and Inspiration

The opposition leader stated she had American backing to leave Venezuela. She has announced plans to return home, though it is not clear the method or timing.

Stern said his group would play no part in a return mission, as it worked only on extracting individuals from countries, not in. “She must decide that for herself. Personally, I advise against returning. Yet she is determined. Maria is truly inspirational,” he concluded.