A Cicero man has been sentenced to eight years in prison after prosecutors said he turned the Fox River Grove Jewel-Osco parking lot into an “open-air drug market.”

In May, a jury found Ivan Ruiz, 36, guilty on two counts of possessing, manufacturing and delivering 15 to 100 grams of cocaine, Class X felonies.

Ruiz was sentenced to eight years on each count, to be served at the same time. He is required to serve half his prison time followed by 18 months of mandatory supervised release. He will receive credit for 225 days in the county jail, according to the sentencing order in McHenry County court signed by Judge Tiffany Davis.

Prosecutors said on May 8 and May 29, 2024, Ruiz with his co-defendant Jorge Barajas, 44, of Joliet, unwittingly met with a confidential informant. On both dates, while detectives watched from a distance, the informant arrived at the parking lot of the Jewel-Osco in Fox River Grove with $1,100.

The informant testified he entered the back seat of a vehicle driven by Barajas. He gave the cash – provided by detectives with the McHenry County Sheriff’s Office Narcotics Task Force – to Ruiz. In return, Ruiz, who was sitting in the passenger’s seat gave the informant about 28 grams of cocaine, according to prosecutors and the informant’s testimony during Ruiz’s trial.

Robert Ritacca Jr., Ruiz’s attorney, attempted to prove his client was not present at either drug purchase. He sought to poke holes in a detective’s testimony and said the informant was not credible and received a deal to testify against Ruiz.

The informant, who pleaded guilty in January in what authorities said was among the largest drug busts in McHenry County history, said he was not getting any benefit to testify against Ruiz. However, the informant said he did get a deal as part of January’s guilty plea, but that was unrelated to Ruiz’s case.

Prior to sentencing Wednesday Ritacca argued for a new trial, which was denied. He claimed prosecutors did not provide him with recordings of a conversation that supposedly took place May 8, 2024, between the informant, Ruiz and Barajas. Prosecutors have said there was no such recording.

Barajas is set for trial Nov. 17.