an engine that did not work, without GPS on the high seas and fear of a US attack

The architect of the rescue was Bryan Sterna US Army veteran who in 2021 created Gray Bull, a company specialized in private evacuations in war zones such as Afghanistan or Gaza. He and his team, experts in intelligence and special operations, were contacted to extract an important “package” from Venezuela on Friday, December 5.

Stern, anticipating a possible US military intervention in the Caribbean, had already taken measures in case his services were required. But his mission was to bring out of hiding the main opponent of Nicolas Maduro. “Moving Maria is like moving Hillary Clinton,” he explained to The Wall Street Journala newspaper that has revealed the details of an operation funded by anonymous donors. “I have not received a dollar from the US Government,” the former combatant guaranteed in an interview with NBC News.

María Corina Machado’s odyssey lasted almost three days: She left a Caracas suburb in costume and a wig and traveled overland to a fishing village on the Caribbean coast of Venezuela. He then boarded a fishing boat heading to the Dutch island of Curacao, a sea journey that took approximately 12 hours. There, a private plane was waiting for her that had left Miami to pick her up and take her to Oslo.

Stern and his team of three dozen collaborators,” were in constant contact with senior US military officials before and during the operation: sharing your live location, describing problems, sending updates and asking for help geolocating your target. The leader of the operation denied having received help from within the Chavista regime.

The first setback arose on the beach of the coastal town. The boat that was to take María Corina Machado to the agreed point in the middle of the sea, where she would meet Stern, presented mechanical problems. The plan contemplated setting sail on Tuesday the 9th at dawn, but the engine could not be started until dusk, twelve hours later.

Poor sea conditions also slowed down navigation. However, the moment of greatest uncertainty occurred when the American veteran lost contact with the Venezuelan opposition boatwho ran out of GPS and appeared about 25 miles from the planned location, where he spent more than six hours waiting and fearing being identified by the coast guard of the Bolivarian Navy.

Laughter and a photo

Stern had outlined his plan to the US forces amid fears that two small ships transferring cargo in the middle of the Caribbean could be confused with the drug boats that the Trump Administration has been bombing for months. “First, keep an eye on us. Second, don’t kill us. And third, if you are doing something, let us know and we will stay away,” the veteran demanded of his military contacts.

After a harrowing search, Stern managed to locate María Corina Machado’s small boat. He sent a photo of the two of them, smiling and wet in the dark, via satellite phone and Starlink to U.S. government and military officials. The “package” had been picked up and was already on its way to Curacao.

“It was dangerous. It was terrifying. The sea conditions were ideal for us, but they were not waters you want to be in, the higher the waves, the harder it is for the radar to see. That’s how it works,” Stern said in an interview with the network CBS. He added that when they met the opponent, “everyone was soaked.”

The veteran, who reiterated that he has “never” been hired by the Trump Administration, avoided talking about the land phase because “we still have work in Venezuela and we do not want to put the people, sources or methods involved at risk.”