Operation Golden Dynamite Evacuates Nobel Laureate María Corina Machado from Venezuela to Oslo
Operation Golden Dynamite, led by Bryan Stern of the Grey Bull Rescue Foundation, successfully extracted Nobel laureate María Corina Machado from Venezuela. Using disguises, two boats navigating rough seas, and a flight to Oslo, the operation relocated Machado from a hiding place in Venezuela to safety.
Machado had been in hiding since last year’s disputed elections and had not appeared in public since January. Her grown-up children were in Oslo to greet her upon arrival just before midnight on Wednesday to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
The plan involved moving Machado first to a small boat, then a larger boat where Stern met her and escorted her onto a plane bound for Norway. The mission was completed by Tuesday after initial contact on Friday and deployment on Sunday. The conditions were dangerous, with seas up to 10 feet high and pitch-black darkness. Flashlights were used to communicate, and precautions were taken to mask her face and digital footprint.
Grey Bull had been developing ground infrastructure in Venezuela and Aruba in preparation for potential evacuations. The operation was not designed for someone as famous as Machado, who has a target on her back. It was funded by donors, not by the US government. Stern coordinated informally with various states' intelligence and diplomatic services and alerted the US in an informal manner.
The mission's nickname, Golden Dynamite, references Alfred Nobel’s invention and the goal of safely transporting Machado to Oslo to accept her prize. Stern advised Machado not to return to Venezuela immediately; he recognizes her desire to go back and considers her a hero to her people but prefers she stay away initially.
