🔗 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, as detailed by the US veteran who says he led the operation.

The Perilous Nighttime Voyage

The rescue organizer, who leads a rescue nonprofit, outlined the operation in a recent interview. It was perilous. It was scary,” stated Stern, a US special forces veteran, recounting rough and moonless seas that simultaneously offered ideal concealment for the escape.

“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 recalled meeting Machado out at sea after she left the country, 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 half-day trip to an secret location to catch a plane, in a mission orchestrated just days before. The operation occurred at midnight – very little moon, some cloud coverage, very hard to see, boats have no lights. All of us were pretty wet. My crew and I were drenched. She was also chilled and wet. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern noted.

Describing her condition, he commented, She was elated. She was very excited. She was very tired,” and noted 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 report comes after 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, referencing his company’s future work in the country.

Funding and American Role

He stated publicly the mission was funded through “a few generous donors” – none of whom were US officials involved. Official US funds were not used, to my knowledge,” Stern asserted.

He said, however, that his group did coordinate informally with the US military regarding locations and strategy, largely to avoid being mistakenly fired upon.

Future Plans and Admiration

The opposition leader stated she had American backing to leave Venezuela. She has announced plans to go back, though the specifics remain uncertain the method or timing.

Stern indicated 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. But I think she should not go back. But she wants to. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.