Southern New Mexico Medical Spa Operator Settles Allegations of Controlled-Substance Recordkeeping Violations

ALBUQUERQUE – The United States has reached a civil settlement with Luis Carlos Cordova, operator of Limitless Aesthetics and Healthcare in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, to resolve allegations that he failed to meet federal controlled-substance recordkeeping requirements under the Controlled Substances Act.

According to the settlement agreement, Cordova committed multiple recordkeeping violations over a two-year period. For the clinic’s 2021 biennial inventory, he allegedly failed to record the required count or volume of the controlled substances on hand and could not account for 240 missing dosages of controlled substances. For the 2022 biennial inventory, he again failed to document the required count, volume, and finished form of controlled substances and failed to account for an additional four missing dosage units.

Per the settlement agreement, Cordova also allegedly failed to record the actual dates of receipt for controlled-substance shipments delivered on four occasions between 2020 and 2021, and that he failed to document the bottle size for 269 dispensing-log entries between September 30, 2020, and May 15, 2022. Federal law requires practitioners to maintain complete, accurate, and current records for all controlled substances they receive, store, and dispense so that inventories can be fully 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.”

Under the settlement, Cordova will pay $70,000 to resolve the alleged civil violations. The agreement includes no admission of liability but resolves the United States’ civil monetary claims arising from this conduct.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Ellison and Omar Arellano, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration’s El Paso Division, made the announcement today.

The Drug Enforcement Administration supported the Government’s investigation. The governments investigations were led by Assistant United States Attorney Sean M. Cunniff and Auditors Julie Chappell and Phillip Stella.