Luis Carlos Cordova, who operates Limitless Aesthetics and Healthcare in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, has agreed to a civil settlement with the United States to resolve allegations of failing to comply with federal recordkeeping requirements for controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act.
The settlement agreement states that Cordova committed several recordkeeping violations over two years. In 2021, he allegedly did not record the required count or volume of controlled substances on hand and could not account for 240 missing dosages. In 2022, similar issues occurred when he again failed to document the necessary details and could not account for four additional missing dosage units.
Additionally, Cordova reportedly did not record the actual dates of receipt for controlled-substance shipments on four occasions between 2020 and 2021. He also failed to document bottle sizes for 269 dispensing-log entries from September 30, 2020, through May 15, 2022. Federal law requires practitioners to keep complete and accurate records for all controlled substances they receive, store, and dispense so inventories can be tracked and audited.
“Accurate recordkeeping is the backbone of the Controlled Substances Act and the clearest way to prevent diversion,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison. “This office and our DEA partners will keep enforcing those requirements without exception so New Mexicans stay protected from the risks of missing or unaccounted-for controlled substances.”
“The men and women of the Drug Enforcement Administration will continue to utilize every tool at its disposal to hold those who betray the American trust,” said Omar Arellano, Special Agent in Charge of the DEA’s El Paso Division. “When a DEA registration is issued, practitioners are held to the highest standard; they are expected to properly handle and document the handling of controlled substances.”
Cordova will pay $70,000 as part of this settlement. The agreement does not include an admission of liability but resolves civil monetary claims by the United States related to these alleged violations.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Omar Arellano from the DEA’s El Paso Division. The Drug Enforcement Administration supported the investigation led by Assistant United States Attorney Sean M. Cunniff along with auditors Julie Chappell and Phillip Stella.