Venezuelan lawmaker Freddy Superlano poisoned in Colombia

Venezuelan lawmaker Freddy Superlano, a member of the opposition party, is in serious but stable condition after being poisoned in Colombia, his party says. His cousin has passed away.

Voluntad Popular, the party of opposition leader Juan Guaidó, said late on Saturday that Superlano was poisoned at a restaurant in Cúcuta, a city near the border with Venezuela. His assistant and cousin, Carlos Salinas, died.

Superlano and Salinas were said to have been poisoned with Burundanga, which is also known as hyoscine or scopolamine. The drug is used to treat motion sickness and other conditions, but it has also been used in robberies and sexual assaults, leading to the nickname “Devil’s Breath.”

It was not immediately known who may have been responsible for the poisoning. “We wait for the results of the investigation by the Colombian authorities to establish the facts,” the party said in a brief statement.

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio, a supporter of Guaido, said Superlano was poisoned while having breakfast on Saturday morning and called it a “grave situation.” A spokesperson for Superlano said the lawmaker is in serious but stable condition.

Photo of Carlos Salinas:

Que dolor hermano Carlos no lo puedo creer Dios te reciba en la gloria, @freddysuperlano contigo amigo, hermano , mucha fuerza . Te queremos mucho bro. pic.twitter.com/NSqnUgb0RR

— Angel Alvarez Gil (@angelalvarezgil) February 24, 2019