Tyler woman sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for drug trafficking in East Texas

Published 4:59 pm Thursday, October 7, 2021

A Tyler woman has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for distributing meth, heroin and other substances in East Texas.

Theresa Cecelia Soliz, 37, was sentenced to 120 months on Thursday after she pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine on March 4, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Eastern District of Texas.

Court information shows Soliz was arrested in December 2019 after a traffic stop near Canton led to officers finding nearly a kilogram of methamphetamine along with various pills, THC oil and heroin.

She admitted to getting the methamphetamine from a supplier in Dallas. She intended to come back to Tyler with substances to give to her customers, who would then repackage and sell it to users, according to the statement.

Soliz was among four other people indicted on federal drug trafficking charges on July 15, 2020.

Nasir Saleh-Saad Jabr, of Tyler, was sentenced to 11 years and eight months in prison on May 20 this year. Ralph Paul Pressley, III, of Troup, was sentenced to 11 years and three months in prison on April 23 this year. Tammy Lynn Dilbeck, of Troup, was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison on May 13.

“Today’s sentence ensures that this group of people will no longer be able to distribute their poison to East Texans for the foreseeable future,” acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei said. “We remain grateful to our law enforcement partners for their unwavering commitment to eradicating illegal drug distribution everywhere.”

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tyler Police Department investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek prosecuted the case.