MOUNT VERNON — A general practitioner surrendered his Drug Enforcement Administration registration last week following a meeting with the Mount Vernon Police Department and a member of the DEA.
Dr. Antonio Narciso Mortera, 85, practices medicine from his office at 12200 Upper Fredericktown Road, but will no longer be able to prescribe narcotics.
“He voluntarily gave up his DEA license,” said MVPD Detective Craig Feeney. “We were looking into pharmaceutical cases and came up with some questions about his practice.”
The MVPD contacted the DEA with the findings from its investigation, and officials from the two agencies met with Mortera on Thursday.
Feeney would not go into detail as to the findings from the investigation, as no charges were filed and Mortera was cooperative during the process.
Rich Isaacson, public information officer for DEA’s Detroit office, said Mortera was not placed under arrest. She reiterated Feeney’s statement about Mortera’s cooperation in voluntarily surrendering his registration.
Mortera will be able to continue his medical practice but his prescriptions will be limited to those not sanctioned by DEA, such as antibiotics.
Doctors can apply for DEA registration online and pay a fee for the license. A background check is required, and applicants must meet the state of residency’s requirements to practice medicine in order to obtain a DEA registration.
According to the State Medical Board of Ohio, Mortera received his initial medical license in Ohio on April 2, 1968. It expires July 1, 2010. He graduated in 1952 from the University of the Philippines’ College of Medicine. His license remains active.
