LINCOLN, Neb. -- A California man was sentenced Thursday to several years in prison for meth-related charges out of Merrick County. 

44-year-old George Licata of California was sentenced in federal court in Lincoln to 72 months (six years) in prison for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing methamphetamine. 

After serving his sentence, Licata will be placed on supervised release for four years. There is no parole in the federal system. 

On September 16, 2020, authorities said a Merrick County Sheriff's deputy stopped Licata for a traffic violation. During the traffic stop. Licata provided consent to search his vehicle. 

It was reported that the deputy found several syringes in the trunk of the vehicle and six glass methamphetamine pipes in a box. It was also reported that under the air filter in the engine compartment, the deputy found a plastic bag containing a white crystal substance that appeared to be meth. 

The Sheriff's Office said the substance was sent to a lab for testing, and the lab determined that there were 107 grams of meth, and at least 96 grams of it were pure. 

This case was investigated by the Merrick County Sheriff's Office, the Nebraska State Patrol, and the Tri-Cities Drug Enforcement Team.