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The daring escape of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado entailed a lengthy, frightening and very wet sea crossing in the pitch black of night, according to the US veteran who claims to have commanded the operation.

A Dangerous Nocturnal Voyage

The rescue organizer, who leads a rescue nonprofit, detailed the mission in a newly published interview. “It was dangerous. It was terrifying,” stated Stern, a US special forces veteran, describing rough and moonless seas that simultaneously offered ideal concealment for the flight.

“The ocean was perfect for our purposes, but not water you'd choose to sail on ... the bigger the swells, the more difficult radar detection becomes,” he remarked.

He described rendezvousing with Machado offshore after she left Venezuela, where she had been in hiding 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 journey to an undisclosed location to catch a plane, in a mission orchestrated just four days earlier. The operation occurred at midnight – very little moon, a little bit of cloud cover, extremely low visibility, boats have no lights. Everyone was quite damp. My team and I were soaked to the gills. She was also chilled and wet. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern added.

Regarding her state, he commented, She was elated. She was very excited. She was exhausted,” and noted about two dozen people were actively participating within his organization.

Verification and Concealment

Spokespeople for Machado confirmed that Stern’s company was behind the extraction, which began on Tuesday. This account follows earlier stories that Machado wore a wig and a disguise to leave her safe house in a outskirts of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

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

Financing and American Involvement

He told media the endeavor was funded through “several benefactors” – none of whom were US officials involved. Official US funds were not used, to my knowledge,” Stern said.

He clarified, though, that his group did coordinate informally with the US military regarding locations and strategy, primarily to prevent being mistakenly fired upon.

Future Plans and Inspiration

Machado said she had American backing to depart Venezuela. She has announced plans to return home, though it is not clear the method or timing.

Stern said his group would not be involved in that operation, as it worked only on extracting individuals from countries, not bringing them back. “That’s for her to determine for herself. But I think she should not go back. But she wants to. She is a genuine inspiration,” he said.