Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was covertly moved out of Venezuela in a hazardous night-time sea transfer to accept her Nobel Peace Prize, according to Bryan Stern of the Grey Bull Rescue Foundation. Stern described 5–6 foot waves, near-total darkness and a transfer between small fishing vessels that turned an expected 3–4 hour journey into about 16 hours. He says the operation, dubbed "Operation Golden Dynamite," was funded by unnamed donors and that the U.S. government was aware but not directly involved. The team transited via Curaçao, though Machado did not clear immigration there.
How María Corina Machado Was Secretly Evacuated by Sea to Accept Her Nobel Peace Prize
Nobel peace laureate María Corina Machado gestures from a balcony of the Grand Hotel in Oslo, Norway, in the early hours on Thursday. (Odd Andersen / AFP - Getty Images)
Rough seas, near-total darkness and a small fishing boat cutting across a dangerous stretch of the southern Caribbean set the scene for what Bryan Stern, a U.S. Special Forces veteran, describes as the riskiest leg of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado’s journey to accept the Nobel Peace Prize in Norway.
According to Stern, who leads the Tampa-based Grey Bull Rescue Foundation and says he helped plan and execute the extraction, rescuers faced 5- to 6-foot waves — perhaps larger — on an almost moonless night as Machado transferred between small vessels and made her way out of Venezuelan waters.
The Operation
Stern has nicknamed the mission "Operation Golden Dynamite." He described conditions as "pitch black, almost no moonlight," with everyone "very cold and wet." What organizers expected to be a three- to four-hour transit turned into roughly a 16-hour ordeal after an engine failure delayed the departure and extended the voyage.
"She did fine. They call her the Iron Lady for a reason," Stern told NBC News, adding that Machado maintained her composure throughout the crossing.
Planning, Secrecy And Disguise
Stern said planning began on Dec. 5 and that the extraction required extensive deception to evade Venezuelan authorities. He declined to detail specific disguise methods and would not confirm a Wall Street Journal report that Machado briefly wore a wig. Stern emphasized that Machado’s face posed a challenge because, he said, her image is highly visible across Venezuela and the Maduro government was reportedly using facial biometrics to try to locate her.
"People in the Maduro regime call it the 'Hunt for Maria' the way we would talk about the 'Hunt for Bin Laden,'" Stern said, adding that rescuers even used deception with some members of Machado’s own team to protect the plan.
Funding, Transit And Official Responses
Stern told reporters the mission was financed by "a series of unnamed donors." He said the U.S. government was aware of the operation but not directly involved: "We designed and implemented the extrication of María Corina Machado from Venezuela to a friendly country from which she was flown to her next destination. We were not hired by anyone in the U.S. government." Stern also said he has not received payment or formal thanks from the U.S. government for the effort.
The team said the flight to Machado’s next destination departed from Curaçao, a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands about 40 miles north of Venezuela. Stern said Machado "transited through Curaçao" but did not clear immigration there.
Aftermath And Context
Grey Bull described the mission as the organization’s 800th and the most challenging it has undertaken. Stern called Machado "a hero of mine" and admitted he was starstruck. Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in October for her leadership of the opposition against President Nicolás Maduro’s government, told reporters she received help from the U.S. government to leave her safe location in Venezuela and collect the prize.
The White House did not respond to NBC News requests for comment on any possible involvement. The account of the extraction first appeared on NBCNews.com.
