María Corina Machado: Inside the Daring Operation to Liberate Venezuela's Nobel Winner

The clandestine extraction of Venezuelan opposition figure and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, María Corina Machado, from her homeland was an operation of remarkable complexity and peril. Dubbed "Operation Golden Dynamite," this daring mission involved intricate disguises, two treacherous boat journeys across tumultuous seas, and a final flight to freedom. Bryan Stern, a decorated US special forces veteran and founder of the Grey Bull Rescue Foundation, recounts leading the cold, wet, and arduous odyssey, praising Machado's unwavering resolve.

"The seas are incredibly rough. It’s pitch black, and we're relying on flashlights for communication. This was genuinely frightening; so many things could have gone wrong," Stern revealed. Yet, against all odds, the mission culminated in success, with Machado safely arriving in Oslo, Norway, just before midnight on Wednesday to accept her Nobel Peace Prize. This dramatic escape marked her first public appearance since January, having lived in hiding within Venezuela following last year's hotly contested elections. Her adult children, whom she hadn't seen in two years, were there in Oslo to embrace her.

The Genesis of Operation Golden Dynamite

Grey Bull Rescue Foundation specializes in critical evacuations from conflict and disaster zones. A representative from Machado's team later corroborated to CBS News, a BBC partner, that Grey Bull orchestrated her high-stakes rescue. Stern disclosed that his organization had been strategically establishing a robust presence across the Caribbean, including Venezuela and Aruba, for months. This preparatory work was explicitly designed for potential operations within Venezuela.

"We've been building essential infrastructure on Venezuelan soil, geared towards extracting Americans, allies, Britons, and other individuals should the political climate escalate into war," Stern explained to the BBC. The timing coincided with mounting speculation regarding potential US military intervention, following former US President Donald Trump's accusations against President Maduro of facilitating drug trafficking and sending criminals to the US.

A Covert Network: Grey Bull's Preparations

The primary challenge, Stern noted, was not merely an extraction, but rescuing someone of María Corina Machado's stature. As a household name and the face of the Venezuelan opposition, her profile made the task uniquely difficult. Stern admitted that Grey Bull's existing infrastructure, built for general evacuations, was "not designed for the second most popular person in the damn country with a target on her back."

When Machado's team initially contacted Grey Bull in early December through an intermediary, they withheld her identity. However, Stern quickly deduced who their high-value target was. This attempt, he recounted, was the second effort to extract Machado, following an earlier plan that "didn't go well." The codename "Golden Dynamite" was chosen in homage to Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, and Machado's ultimate destination: Oslo, to receive her Nobel Peace Prize.

The Perilous Journey: Disguises, Choppy Seas, and Precision

The operation unfolded with remarkable speed. Stern confirmed that discussions with Machado’s team began on a Friday, deployment commenced that Sunday, and by Tuesday, their mission was complete. After exploring various extraction methods, a tumultuous sea journey emerged as the most viable strategy.

To safeguard future operations within Venezuela, Stern provided limited specifics. The initial phase involved moving Machado from her undisclosed safe house to a rendezvous point for a small boat. This craft then transported her offshore to a larger vessel, where she met Stern and his team. The ensuing voyage was characterized by "very rough seas" with waves cresting up to 10 feet (3 meters) in "pitch-black darkness."

Under the Radar: Securing the Operation

"The journey was anything but pleasant. It was bitterly cold, profoundly wet; we were all drenched. The fierce waves, however, we used to our advantage," he recounted. Ultimately, they brought her to a secure landing zone where a plane awaited to fly her directly to Norway. Throughout the entire journey, meticulous steps were taken to mask Machado's identity, both physically through disguises and digitally, to counter the "biometric threat" posed by her widespread recognition. Measures were also implemented to prevent any tracing via her mobile phone.

Despite the harrowing conditions, Stern described Machado as "formidable," accepting only a jumper for warmth and never uttering a single complaint. "She was soaking wet and freezing cold and didn't complain once," he chuckled, acknowledging the inherent dangers of waterborne operations: "If I am driving a boat and blow an engine, I'm swimming to Venezuela."

Ensuring the safety of Venezuelan individuals who aided the operation was paramount. Stern emphasized that their identities were meticulously shielded through "a lot of deception operations." Many local helpers, he added, were unaware they were working for Grey Bull, while others believed they knew the full story when in reality, they only had partial information. "There are people who did things that were benign from their perspective – but mission-critical from our perspective," he explained.

The operation was solely financed by private donors, not the US government. "We've never had a thank-you note from the US government, let alone a dollar," Stern affirmed. However, Grey Bull did coordinate informally with intelligence and diplomatic services from several nation-states, including a heads-up to the US.

A Future Uncertain: Machado's Resolve

While Machado has publicly expressed her intention to return to Venezuela, Stern candidly advised against it. "I told her, 'don't go back. You're a Mum. We need you.' She's going to do what she's going to do... I understand why she wants to go back because she's a hero to her people," he mused. "I wish she wouldn't go back; I have a feeling she will." The successful extraction ofMaría Corina Machado: Inside the operation to sneak Nobel winner out of Venezuelastands as a testament to courage, resilience, and the intricate world of covert humanitarian rescues.