Former U.S. special forces member Bryan Stern led "Operation Golden Dynamite," a covert extraction that removed Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado from Venezuela and put her on a private jet to Norway for the Nobel Peace Prize. The Grey Bull Rescue team used disguises, diversionary tactics and a risky nighttime maritime rendezvous to evade authorities. The mission faced GPS failures, mechanical trouble, violent seas and the unnerving presence of F‑18s overhead, but Machado arrived in Norway safely. Stern says the U.S. government was not involved and called it Grey Bull’s most complex mission to date.
Operation Golden Dynamite: U.S. Veteran’s Daring Secret Extraction of María Corina Machado
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gestures at a protest ahead of the Friday inauguration of President Nicolás Maduro for his third term, in Caracas, Venezuela, January 9, 2025.
Operation Golden Dynamite was a covert, multi-stage extraction led by U.S. special forces veteran Bryan Stern to remove Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado from Venezuela and ensure her timely arrival in Norway to accept a Nobel Peace Prize.
Mission Overview
Stern, founder of the Tampa-based Grey Bull Rescue Foundation, described a high-risk operation that spanned land and sea and relied on disguise, deception and precise maritime navigation. According to Stern, the Grey Bull team planned and executed the mission without U.S. government involvement.
From Safehouse to Sea
Moving Machado from a safehouse to a coastal pickup point required extensive steps to conceal her identity and reduce her digital and physical signatures. The team used deliberate diversions and deception on the ground to create confusion and avoid attention while transferring her to a waiting boat.
Perilous Maritime Extraction
The maritime phase involved two vessels. The boat that carried Machado experienced a GPS failure and a mechanical problem amid violent seas, delaying the extraction. Stern recounted navigating in near-total darkness, with crewmembers physically ill from the conditions.
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro brandishes a sword said to have belonged to independence hero Simon Bolivar during a civic-military event at the military academy in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025.
To maintain stealth, both boats kept radio silence and located each other using visual signals. Stern said his larger vessel circled Machado’s craft and illuminated the crew to verify the pickup before bringing her aboard. After Machado was aboard, Stern radioed the team: "Jackpot, jackpot, jackpot." He later described her as "the most wanted woman in the Western Hemisphere" by the Maduro government.
Escape and Final Transport
Once in international waters the team prioritized avoiding any appearance of an unlawful abduction, concerned Maduro’s government could manufacture a pretext to attack. Stern ordered the captain to maintain full speed toward safety despite the risk of pursuit. During the escape, two F‑18 fighter jets reportedly flew overhead; their intent remained unclear to Stern.
Although an air extraction plan had been prepared as a contingency, Machado ultimately completed the final leg on a private jet arranged by her personal network and arrived in Norway safely to receive the Nobel Prize.
Aftermath
Grey Bull Rescue, which has conducted operations in conflict zones including Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan and Haiti, called the Machado extraction the most complex mission in its roughly 800-mission history. Stern emphasized the operation’s risks and the careful measures taken to minimize detection and protect Machado’s safety.
Bryan Stern: "They lie. They could have killed us for any reason. We're in the middle of the d--- ocean and there's no one around to see the truth… we are scared, we are nervous, we're on the run and we floor it getting to the rendezvous."
