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The audacious getaway of political leader María Corina Machado entailed a lengthy, “scary” and soaking boat journey in the pitch black of night, as detailed by the American man who claims to have commanded the operation.

The Dangerous Nocturnal Voyage

The rescue organizer, who leads a rescue nonprofit, detailed the mission in a newly published interview. It was perilous. It was terrifying,” said Stern, an ex-special forces operative, recounting dark and choppy conditions that simultaneously offered convenient cover for the flight.

“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,” he remarked.

He described meeting Machado out at sea after she departed from the country, where she had been lying low for over a year due to fear of persecution by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

A Step-by-Step Extraction

Machado embarked on his boat for a 13- to 14-hour journey to an undisclosed location to catch a plane, in a mission orchestrated just days before. The operation occurred at midnight – very little moon, a little bit of cloud cover, extremely low visibility, vessels running dark. All of us were pretty wet. My crew and I were drenched. She was also chilled and wet. She had a very arduous journey,” Stern added.

Describing her condition, he commented, She was elated. She was thrilled. She was exhausted,” and noted about two dozen people were directly involved within his team.

Confirmation and Concealment

A representative for Machado confirmed that Stern’s company was behind the operation, which began on Tuesday. This report follows earlier stories that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to flee her safe house in a suburb of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

The veteran declined to share specifics about the land operation, citing his company’s future work in the region.

Funding and American Role

He told media the endeavor was financed by “a few generous donors” – with no US officials involved. Official US funds were not used, to my knowledge,” Stern said.

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

Next Steps and Admiration

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

Stern indicated his group would not be involved in a return mission, as it worked only on getting people out of countries, not in. “She must decide that and for her to decide. Personally, I advise against returning. But she wants to. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.