How a American Military Veteran Aided the Venezuelan Opposition Leader Flee Venezuela

This daring escape of Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado involved a long, frightening and soaking sea crossing in the pitch black of night, according to the American man who claims to have commanded the mission.

The Perilous Nighttime Voyage

Bryan Stern, who leads a nonprofit rescue organisation, detailed the operation in a recent media appearance. “It was dangerous. It was scary,” stated Stern, an ex-special forces operative, recounting rough and moonless seas that also provided 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 harder it is for radar to see,” Stern said.

He recalled meeting Machado out at sea after she left Venezuela, where she had been in hiding since August 2024 due to fear of persecution by the administration of President Nicolás Maduro.

A Step-by-Step Escape Plan

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 four days earlier. “This was in the middle of the night – very little moon, a little bit of cloud cover, very hard to see, boats have no lights. Everyone was quite damp. My crew and I were drenched. She was pretty cold and wet, too. She endured a grueling passage,” Stern noted.

Regarding her state, he commented, “She was very happy. She was thrilled. She was very tired,” adding that about twenty-four people were directly involved within his organization.

Verification and Disguise

Spokespeople for Machado verified 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 flee her safe house in a outskirts of the Venezuelan capital, Caracas.

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

Financing and American Involvement

He stated publicly the mission was financed by “a few generous donors” – with no US officials involved. “The US government did not contribute a single penny, to my knowledge,” Stern said.

He clarified, though, that his group did coordinate informally with the US military regarding positioning and plans, largely to avoid being mistakenly fired upon.

Future Plans and Inspiration

Machado said she had American backing to depart Venezuela. She has declared her intention to go back, though it is not clear the method or timing.

Stern said his group would play no part in that operation, as it worked only on getting people out of countries, not in. “That’s for her to determine and for her to decide. Personally, I advise against returning. Yet she is determined. She is a genuine inspiration,” he concluded.