Maine Man Who Supplied Drugs to a Child Sex Offender is Sentenced

An investigation into a child sex exploitation suspect led the police to arrest his drug supplier.

The Portland Man Pleaded Guilty to Drug Charges

Tyler Vangel, 30, of Portland is sentenced to 50 months in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to distribute cocaine. He pleaded guilty on October 31st, 2023. Vangel was also known by several aliases, including Tyler Linscott, Tyler Carter, and Andrew Flanagan.

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Demers Was Supplying Drugs to a Sex Offender and Others in Maine

As the police were investigating Sebastian Demers in early 2022 for suspected child exploitation, they learned that Demers was also selling drugs and Vangel was identified as his supplier. An investigation into Vangel's activities revealed that between January 2021 and June 2022, he regularly obtained and transported large quantities of cocaine from a Lawrence, Massachusetts-based supplier to be distributed by himself and others to customers in Maine. Demers was one of those dealers.

According to the United States Attorney's Office, District of Maine, evidence seized during the investigation included Vangel's phone, which revealed orders from lower-level distributors requesting a 'basket' (3.5 grams) and "half key" (half kilogram), as well as Vangel responding about having a "brick" (kilogram).

He Was Discovered During an Investigation Into the Exploitation of a Young Teen

Sebastian Demers was sentenced in February to 15 years in prison for the sexual exploitation of a child and 1 year for drug trafficking, to be served concurrently. He pleaded guilty in 2022 to charges against him in connection with the exploitation of a 14-year-old child he met online. Officials say he threatened to child and the child's family in order to get sexually explicit photos and videos of the child.