Two men living together in the San Fernando Valley were arrested after a search warrant by Ventura County authorities turned up a large cache of drugs the roommates were allegedly trying to sell.
According to a release issued by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, the department’s VC FOCUS (Ventura County Fentanyl and Overdose Crimes Units) began investigating one of the roommates, Brandon Decervens, several months ago and confirmed through surveillance that he was conducting “street deals.”
Further investigation led detectives to Decervens’ roommate, Stephen Castel, and he was found to be participating in drug sales through the utilization of the social media platforms Telegram and Signal.
Law enforcement officials detained Decervens as he was leaving his Encino apartment complex on Oct. 9, and Castel was detained inside the residence as he attempted to destroy several large bags of narcotics, VCSO stated.
A search of the apartment turned up 5,794 Xanax pills, around ¼ pound of methamphetamine, 2 ounces each of fentanyl and heroin, and “an assortment” of other drugs including cocaine, MDMA, ketamine and other legitimate pharmaceutical pills, VCSO said.
Oversight Commission alleges sheriff’s secretive unit targeted political enemies: LAT Both Decervens and Castel were charged with possession for sales of controlled substances, sales of controlled substances, sales of a specified drug and conspiracy.
Each was booked into the Ventura County Pre-Trial Detention Facility; Decervens, 29, was released after posting bail and has an arraignment set for Oct. 24.
Castel, 28, remains in custody on $50,000 bail after a court appearance this past Friday.
“VC FOCUS concluded the investigation with the arrests of Brandon Decervens and Stephen Castel who were responsible for selling legitimate pharmaceutical pills and other illegal drugs such as methamphetamine, fentanyl and heroin to Ventura County residents,” deputies stated.
VC FOCUS is a task force made up of Ventura County regional law enforcement agencies, the CHP and federal authorities. Their primary mission is to combat fentanyl-related crimes and opioid overdoses by targeting the supply chain of individuals and criminal organizations responsible for the sales of drugs into Ventura County.
To speak with a VC FOCUS investigator regarding this case or another case related to narcotics, call 805-383-8700 or email VCFOCUS@ventura.org.
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