The emergency stay order signed Wednesday by Florida’s surgeon general means Miami-Dade’s Dr. Manuel Barbeito can’t legally play doctor — for now. The suspension order is for the same reason Barbeito has been in federal prison since September.
Barbeito, 59, threw pills at General Care Center, an all-cash pill mill at 7805 Coral Way that landed several people in federal prison, run by owner Habib Palacios. After pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and distribute a controlled substance, Barbeito was sentenced to five years and 10 months last year.
Court documents say Barbeito’s sentence was reduced to three years and six months. His release date is June 7, 2025. His time in government was cut short after he prepared to testify against the fictional owner of General Care, Habib Palacios. Palacios is scheduled to be held in a federal prison in downtown Miami until December 4, 2034, serving time for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and distributing a controlled substance.
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Court documents say Barbeito also cooperated against Dr. Bruno Gallo, who signed a plea deal before killing himself. Barbeito also helped prosecute Lisset Martinez and Adriana Benedi. Each pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and distribute a controlled substance. Marianna Federal Prison has Martinez, 55, through Jan. 30, 2029, and Benedi, 61, through July 7, 2026.
Illegal treatment in general care?
Online records indicate that Barbeito has been licensed in Florida since June 20, 1997. He lost that license for $1,500 to $2,000 per week plus a cash bonus of $120 for each opioid prescription Barbeito wrote. from March 2018 to November 2019.
It’s in Barbeito’s admission of facts with his guilty plea. Palacios hired Barbeito to be one of the doctors prescribing oxycodone for $250 to $300 per prescription.
“While employed at the GCC, Barbeito knowingly prescribed oxycodone hydrochloride 30mg to patients who had no legitimate medical need for the drug,” the admission reads. “For example, Barbeito prescribed oxycodone to patients who appeared young and healthy, and to patients whose requests for oxycodone were inconsistent with their medical history, pain descriptions, and/or patient records. .
“Nevertheless, Barbeito prescribed oxycodone to all or nearly all of the patients he saw at the GCC because Palacios ordered him to do so.”
Palacios has never held a medical license. By the time Barbeito gets out or gets out of prison, he won’t have one either.