GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A Kentwood veterinarian won’t be able to dispense drugs for the next five years after federal authorities say his inadequate record-keeping lost track of some 41,000 pills.
Dr. Ronald Zylstra of Kentwood Veterinary Clinic will have to pay $35,000 in civil penalties, won’t be able to dispense controlled substances for five years and must abide by restrictions on what drugs he can prescribe, order and administer, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a Monday release.
Federal prosecutors say Zylstra violated the Controlled Substances Act because he didn’t keep proper records, including marking down when drugs were brought in and conducting inventories. They say a Drug Enforcement Administration audit found some 41,000 opioid and benzodiazepine tablets were not accounted for.
The feds negotiated the $35,000 penalty, saying Zylstra couldn’t pay more. The DEA will also be keeping an eye on him for the next five years.
“Practitioners who dispense controlled substances must adhere to their recordkeeping obligations under federal law, which are critical to preventing and detecting diversion,” U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a Monday statement. “As we fight the opioid epidemic, my office will continue to work with DEA and other law enforcement agencies to combat this and other controlled-substance violations.”