An anesthesiologist who works at an East County pain-control clinic was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of dispensing powerful painkillers to patients without legitimate medical reasons and providing the drugs to addicts in exchange for sex.
Federal agents took Dr. Naga Raja Thota, 62, into custody this morning at his workplace in the 2700 block of Navajo Road in El Cajon, according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.
During a several-year investigation, agents identified three alleged victims in the case, said Thomas Lenox, supervisory special agent with the DEA's Pharmaceutical Drug Task Force. Thota is accused of prescribing the women, ranging in age from early 20s to early 30s, various narcotics, including hydrcocone, methodone and oxycodone.
He allegedly went on to use the painkillers as "the carrot he held out" to his victims to coerce them into intimate relationships with him, according to Lenox. One of the women later moved on to heroin abuse, the DEA agent said.
Thota, a Lake Murray-area resident, made his initial court appearance Wednesday afternoon before a federal magistrate in downtown San Diego, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The judge set bail at $100,000 and imposed limits on Thota's ability to prescribe medication. His next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 13.
Thota has been involved in two medical malpractice cases and one professional negligence case in the San Diego area, NBC 7 reported.
