WOODSTOCK, Ill. — A Woodstock man will spend five years in prison for possession of meth, McHenry County State’s Attorney Patrick Kenneally announced Monday.

38-year-old James Ramirez was handed the sentence on Friday after he entered a negotiated plea of guilty to the charge of unlawful possession of methamphetamine.

According to prosecutors, on Jan. 17, 2021, law enforcement officers with the Woodstock Police Department were conducting surveillance at a home in the 1500 block of Moraine Drive after neighbors in the area notified police about potential drug dealing by the residents.

Authorities say during the surveillance, officers spotted a dark-colored sedan leave the home and conducted a traffic stop shortly after they spotted the driver, who was later identified as Ramirez, make a traffic violation.

During the traffic stop, officers found that Ramirez had been driving on a revoked license and he was taken into custody.

Following his arrest, while conducting a search of his car, authorities found a backpack with a large amount of meth inside.

Ramirez’s sentence was handed down by Judge Tiffany Davis.