Smith County Woman Sentenced for Trafficking Methamphetamine in the Eastern District of Texas

TYLER, Texas - A Tyler woman has been sentenced to federal prison for drug trafficking violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei today.

Theresa Cecelia Soliz, 37, pleaded guilty on March 4, 2021, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison today by U.S. District Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle.

According to information presented in court, Soliz was arrested in December 2019 following a traffic stop near Canton, during which she was found to be in possession of almost a kilogram of methamphetamine along with various pills, THC oil, and heroin. Soliz admitted to obtaining the methamphetamine from a supplier in Dallas, and that she intended to return to Tyler and distribute it to her customers, who would then repackage and sell it to users.

Soliz and three others were indicted for federal drug trafficking violations on July 15, 2020. Nasir Saleh-Saad Jabr, of Tyler, was sentenced to 140 months in prison on May 20, 2021; Ralph Paul Pressley, III, of Troup, was sentenced to 135 months in prison on April 23, 2021; and Tammy Lynn Dilbeck, of Troup, was sentenced to 100 months in prison on May 13, 2021.

"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," said Acting U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei. "We remain grateful to our law enforcement partners for their unwavering commitment to eradicating illegal drug distribution everywhere."

This case was investigated by 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. This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lucas Machicek.

###