Wrongfully Detained U.S. Surfer Finally Released From Venezuela

According to a website dedicated to freeing Hunter, he is a “37-year-old US-French citizen. He works in international finance. The second of four siblings, Lucas has been passionate about water sports ever since he worked as a water sports instructor in Hawaii. He’s an avid kite surfer and a huge fan of Point Break and surf legend Robbie Naish.”

On January 7th, 2025, he was on his motorcycle traveling through Paraguachón. That’s when, according to his supporters, he was “coerced by the Venezuelan border agents who crossed into Colombia to grab him.” He sent voice memos to his sister, who was traveling with him, but didn’t join him on the motorcycle, as she was feeling ill. And via text the following day, “That was the last anyone had heard anything about Lucas until his release.”

So, what happened? Hunter was involved in a prisoner swap, a deal struck between President Trump and Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro. According to Newsweek, 10 Americans were freed in a hostage exchange for “more than 250 Venezuelans deported from the U.S. and flown in March to El Salvador's high-security prison.”

Upon his release on July 18th, Hunter’s family announced the good news:

“After 192 days in Venezuelan detention, Lucas has been freed. We cannot wait to see him in person and help him recover from this ordeal. And it’s not just Lucas, numerous other innocent Americans were released as well.”