# 2026-19232: Puerto Rico Doctor Permanently Loses DEA Controlled Substances License

2026-19232, Esther Villanueva Valdes, M.D.; Decision and Order, is a Federal Register notice from Justice Department, Drug Enforcement Administration published 2026-09-21, effective 2026-10-21; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-09-28).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19232
- As of: 2026-09-28
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Document number: 2026-19232
- Title: Esther Villanueva Valdes, M.D.; Decision and Order
- Type: Notice
- Agencies: Justice Department; Drug Enforcement Administration
- Citation: 91 FR 59798
- Published: 2026-09-21
- Effective: 2026-10-21
- Comments close: not stated
- Significant: no
- Touches household money: yes
- Regulation identifier numbers: none
- Last updated: 2026-09-28

## In one line

Puerto Rico Doctor Permanently Loses DEA Controlled Substances License

## Summary

Dr. Esther Villanueva Valdes from Puerto Rico lost her DEA registration because she’s no longer allowed to handle controlled substances and was excluded from federal health programs like Medicare and Medicaid. She didn’t ask for a hearing, so the decision to revoke her registration is final. This means she can’t legally prescribe or manage controlled drugs anymore, effective immediately.

## Effects PRIA read

- DEA Registration Revoked in Puerto Rico: cost, high. DEA Certificate of Registration No. BV4657485 issued to Dr. Esther Villanueva Valdes is revoked, effective October 21, 2026. As of that date, she may not lawfully prescribe, dispense, or otherwise handle controlled substances, and any pending applications to renew, modify, or obtain DEA registratio…
- Mandatory Exclusion From Federal Health Programs: cost, high. Dr. Villanueva Valdes was mandatorily excluded from participation in Medicare, Medicaid, and all Federal health care programs effective March 20, 2022 for a minimum period of 8 years under 42 U.S.C. 1320a-7(a). This exclusion is an independent basis for denying or revoking DEA registration.
- State Medical and Controlled-Substance Licenses Lapsed: cost, high. The record shows Dr. Villanueva Valdes's Puerto Rico medical license expired on July 4, 2022 and her Puerto Rico controlled substance license expired on August 31, 2023; DEA found she is not licensed to practice medicine in Puerto Rico. Those lapsed state licenses support revocation of her DEA regi…

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## Sources
- [2026-19232 on federalregister.gov](https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/09/21/2026-19232/esther-villanueva-valdes-md-decision-and-order)
- [2026-19232 as published (PDF)](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-09-21/pdf/2026-19232.pdf)

## Related
- [Previous: 2026-19230, John Ramsay Walters, M.D.; Decision and Order](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19230)
- [Next: 2026-19233, Notice of Supplemental Funding, State Offices of Rural Health Coordination and…](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19233)
- [All Federal Register documents](https://policyrisk.com/federal-register)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/federal-register/2026-19232 (as of 2026-09-28).