The Way a American Special Forces Veteran Assisted the Venezuelan Opposition Leader Escape Venezuela

The audacious getaway of political leader María Corina Machado entailed a long, frightening and soaking boat journey in the dead of night, as detailed by the US veteran who claims to have commanded the operation.

The Perilous Nocturnal Voyage

The rescue organizer, who leads a rescue nonprofit, outlined the operation in a recent interview. “It was dangerous. It was scary,” stated Stern, an ex-special forces operative, describing dark and choppy conditions that simultaneously offered ideal concealment 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,” Stern said.

He recalled meeting Machado out at sea after she left Venezuela, where she had been in hiding since August 2024 fearing targeting by the government of President Nicolás Maduro.

The Step-by-Step Escape Plan

She boarded his boat for a 13- to 14-hour journey to an secret location to board a flight, in a mission planned just days before. The operation occurred at midnight – very little moon, a little bit of cloud cover, very hard to see, vessels running dark. Everyone was quite damp. 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 very happy. 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 company was responsible for the extraction, which began on Tuesday. This report comes after earlier stories that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to flee her hideout in a outskirts of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

Stern did not divulge specifics about the ground segment, referencing his organization's ongoing operations in the region.

Financing and US Involvement

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

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

Future Plans and Inspiration

The opposition leader stated she had American backing 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 a return mission, as it worked only on extracting individuals from countries, not bringing them back. “That’s for her to determine and for her to decide. But I think she should not go back. Yet she is determined. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.