Category: Gangs in the news…

Opening Statements Delivered in Motorcycle Club Mass Shooting

March 13 — Robyn Fielding-Jones Baltimore Witness

Opening Statements Delivered in Motorcycle Club Mass Shooting

A mass shooting trial got underway March 13 in an East Baltimore case, with counsel presenting their opening statements to the jury and Baltimore City Circuit Court Judge Alan C. Lazerow.

44-year old Eric Kibler faces a total of 47 charges, including two counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of first-degree attempted murder for his alleged role in a 2024 shooting that left 36-year-old Anthony Martin dead and seven others injured.

Around 8 p.m. on the night of Aug. 18, 2024, police were dispatched to the 1300 block of N. Spring Street for a reported shooting. Prior to the shooting, the Thunderguards motorcycle club had been holding a memorial cookout to honor a recently deceased member.

During the gathering, members of the club reportedly became involved in a parking dispute with Martin, a resident of the area. As the argument escalated, shots were fired, striking Martin and seven bystanders.

During their investigation, Baltimore Police Department (BPD) detectives recovered surveillance footage from the area that showed a suspect standing in front of Martin and firing his weapon. Police later identified Kibler as the alleged shooter.

In their opening statement, the prosecution presented a case of conspiracy and retaliation, telling jurors that Kibler could be seen on video instructing his associates to shoot Martin after the victim fired his gun into the sky. The prosecution added that one of the surveillance camera’s wires had been cut to prevent recording, suggesting premeditation.

According to the state, the defendant and his associates believed Martin needed to be “taught a lesson” after he “disrespected the motorcycle gang.”

Defense attorney Tony N. Garcia argued that the case and evidence “make no sense.” He told jurors the prosecution’s firearm expert would testify that there were at least 16 firearms present at the scene, meaning there must have been more than one shooter.

Garcia claimed the prosecution was “asking [jurors] to guess,” noting investigators never recovered a gun from Kibler’s person or successfully matched recovered shell casings to a gun in his possession.

Testimony is set to continue March 16.

Prosecutor who busted Katy biker gang named federal judge

Tenure marked by commitment to border security and aggressive prosecution of organized crime

by Dennis Spellman State & National Coveringkaty.com/news Machr. 15, 2026
https://coveringkaty.com/news/state-and-national/ganjei-announces-intent-to-resign-from-position-of-united-st/

HOUSTON (Covering Katy News) — South Texas’ top federal prosecutor is trading his role putting criminals behind bars to become a federal judge — and his record includes bringing down a Katy-based motorcycle gang accused of murder, drug trafficking and a bloody turf war.
Ganjei Steping Down as U.S. Attorney

Nicholas J. Ganjei is stepping down as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas after President Donald Trump nominated him as a federal district judge and the U.S. Senate confirmed him Feb. 3, 2026, by a vote of 51-45. All Republicans voted for him and all Democrats voted against him. He took his oath of office March 12 and will serve in Houston.

Unlike his current position, which typically changes with presidential administrations, a federal judgeship is a lifetime appointment.
Katy’s ‘Welcome to Hell’ Bandidos Chapter Brought Down

Among the cases that defined his tenure, Ganjei’s office indicted 14 members of the Katy-based “Welcome to Hell” chapter of the Bandidos Outlaw Motorcycle Gang on 22 counts including racketeering, assault and murder, stemming from a violent turf war that spilled onto public roads and into bars and restaurants with innocent bystanders present.

The Bandidos are one of the largest outlaw motorcycle gangs in the world, with an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 members in the United States and another 1,000 to 1,500 internationally, including chapters in Europe, Asia and Mexico.

The gang was founded in Houston in 1966. The Katy-based “Welcome to Hell” chapter was founded in 2021 with the specific goal of targeting a rival gang known as BEAST — Brothers East — a former Bandidos support group that had broken away from the organization.

Bandidos national leadership allegedly issued a “smash on site” order directing members to assault or kill any BEAST member on sight. The gang is perhaps best known in Texas for a 2015 shootout with rival Cossacks outside a Twin Peaks restaurant in Waco that left nine people dead and 20 injured.

Ganjei’s Aggressive Enforcement Across South Texas

As U.S. Attorney, Ganjei oversaw a district that stretches across 43 counties, covers 44,000 square miles and serves more than nine million residents. His office filed more than 10,000 federal charges and won 96 percent of its cases, according to the office.
Border Enforcement a Top Priority

Border enforcement was also a centerpiece of his tenure. The district charged more than 14,000 people in border-related cases in 2025 alone, covering everything from illegal crossings and drug trafficking to assaults on federal officers.

Notorious Canadian biker gang launches Finnish chapter
Satan’s Choice, an outlaw motorcycle gang with a violent history, has spread to Finland.
https://yle.fi/a/74-20215297 March 14, 2026

An image posted on Satan’s Choice MC Helsinki’s Instagram account on 24 January showing the club’s patch and bullets. Image: Kuvakaappaus SCMC Helsingin Instagram-tililtä

The notorious motorcycle gang Satan’s Choice MC has started operations in Finland.

Since January, several photos have been published on the social media service Instagram by an account operating under the name SCMC Helsinki.

The account claims to be the official page of the “Northern European National Chapter” of Satan’s Choice MC.

The pictures show about 10 men posing in gang vests and holding weapons, some with their faces obscured.

In early January, Satan’s Choice MC’s official international support club Instagram page welcomed “the Finland chapters”.

Images posted by SCMC Helsinki show gang vests with the “one-percent” symbol. It is used by outlaw biker gangs such as Hell’s Angels, Bandidos and Outlaws MC, signifying that they are among the supposed one percent of motorcyclists who are not law-abiding.

“We don’t want to comment anything about anything”

Yle asked for comment from an email address associated with the Instagram account. It received satirical responses at first, before a final message saying: “We don’t want to comment anything about anything”.

According to his social media posts, Guindon has visited Finland as a guest of his club’s local chapter. In a Facebook update in early January, Guindon wrote that he was very proud of his club’s new chapters in Finland. He poses in a photo with Finnish members of the gang.

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) tells Yle that it is aware of the group and is monitoring the situation, but declined to discuss any details.

Violent six-decade history

In the 1970s, Satan’s Choice was the world’s biggest outlaw motorcycle club besides the Hells Angels.

It was started in 1965 by boxer Bernie Guindon, who later served 15 years in prison for indecent assault on a minor and drug trafficking.
The gang was involved in drug dealing, pimping, extortion and other crimes, and took part in Canadian gang wars from the 1970s on that left hundreds of people dead.

Specifically, it fought a drug-market turf war with another biker gang, the Popeyes, in the mid-70s, that left around 20 people dead over a two-year period. Satan’s Choice was also involved in the bombing of a police station in 1996.

The club merged with the Hells Angels in 2000, and Guindon announced his retirement in 2006.

Last summer, his son, Harley Davidson Guindon, relaunched the club. He is a former Hells Angels member who has also served prison terms for violent crimes.

In October, Canadian public broadcaster CBC reported that Ontario Police were monitoring “the outlaw motorcycle gang that once dominated northern Ontario streets and appears to be making a comeback”.

Kansas City man admits role in armed biker gang attacks targeting rival club members

Nick Sloan KMBC in Kansas City Missouri March 12, 2026
https://www.kmbc.com/article/kansas-city-man-admits-role-in-armed-biker-gang-attacks-targeting-rival-club-members/70727633

A former member of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club has admitted to taking part in a series of violent attacks targeting rival motorcycle club members in Kansas and Missouri.

James Prettyman, 44, of Kansas City, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to three charges connected to the assaults.

hose charges include attempted assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, assault with a dangerous weapon in aid of racketeering, and aiding and abetting the possession of a firearm during a violent crime.

Prosecutors say the violence stemmed from ongoing rivalries between motorcycle clubs.

Court records show that on Sept. 3, 2022, Prettyman and other members of the Pagan’s Motorcycle Club and a support club traveled to Topeka with plans to attack members of a rival club attending an event there.

Investigators said the group intended to “catch a stray,” meaning any rival member they encountered, and attack them using either an axe handle or a gun.

The group spotted a rival member in a hotel parking lot.

Court documents say a disagreement broke out among the Pagan’s members before any violence occurred, and the group returned to the Kansas City area.

Two weeks later, on Sept. 17, the conflict escalated. Authorities say Prettyman and others chased a rival motorcycle club member in Blue Springs and forced him off the road.

Members of the group were armed with firearms and at least one axe handle, according to court records.

The victim was confronted on the side of the road and shot seven times, suffering gunshot wounds to his knee, thigh, forearm, biceps, buttocks and the back of his leg.

Prettyman now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison and could receive up to life behind bars.
His sentencing date has not yet been set.

The investigation involved the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and law enforcement in Kansas City, Independence and Blue Springs.

Prosecutors seek outlaw biker gang expert for upcoming Pagans trial

Defense attorneys argue proposed testimony could unfairly prejudice jurors

By Tony Di Domizio
Managing Editor
Thursday, March 12, 2026

Prosecutors seek outlaw biker gang expert for upcoming Pagans trial

An expert in the motorcycle club and biker culture may have an opportunity to take the stand in the shooting case involving members of the Pagans Motorcycle Club

Prosecutors in Montgomery County want a federal expert to testify about the culture and structure of outlaw motorcycle gangs when nine alleged members of the Pagans motorcycle club stand trial in connection with a shooting outside a West Norriton Wawa last year.
The unusual request surfaced during pretrial hearings this week ahead of the defendants’ scheduled May 18 trial, according to The Mercury.
According to court filings, prosecutors want Jeremy Scheetz, an intelligence operations specialist with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, to explain the subculture, hierarchy and values associated with outlaw biker organizations.

Prosecutors argued that jurors may not be familiar with how such groups operate and said expert testimony could help them understand the alleged motivations behind the confrontation that led to violence in the parking lot.

The case centers on a 9:12 p.m. Oct. 17, 2025 altercation outside the Wawa on West Main Street in West Norriton, where authorities allege members of the Pagans confronted two members of the rival Unknown Bikers Motorcycle Gang. The encounter escalated into a shooting that left six people wounded, including two bystanders. Prosecutors claim the Pagans surrounded the rival bikers in an attempt to take their club “colors,” which they say triggered the confrontation.

According to the report, defense attorneys representing several of the nine defendants are pushing back on the proposed expert testimony. Lawyers argued that bringing in a gang expert risks encouraging jurors to judge defendants based on their alleged affiliation rather than their individual actions, according to the article.

Attorneys for defendants Erik Dixon and Manuel “Machete” Baez-Santos have also argued their clients were merely present at the scene and were not directly involved in the violence.

Prosecutors maintain that membership and association within the biker subculture is central to their theory of conspiracy, arguing the group’s collective actions demonstrate shared intent. Judge Risa Vetri Ferman has taken the issue under advisement and is expected to rule before the trial begins, according to the report.

All nine defendants face identical charges connected to the incident, and eight remain jailed on $500,000 cash bail. The joint trial is currently expected to last about four weeks.

Arrested were Dixon, George Cwienk III, 51; Joel Hernandez-Martinez, 36; George Hripto Jr., 50; Jason Lawless, 45, all of Bridgeport; Baez-Santos, 34, of Norristown; Luke Higgins, 29, of Dauberville; Justin Noll, 34, of Reading; and Erik Rosenberger, 46, of East Greenville.
On Friday, October 17, 2025, at 9:12 p.m., West Norriton Township Police were dispatched to the Wawa, 2544 W. Main St., for a reported shooting. The 911 caller said the store manager had locked down the building and had customers hiding in the back area.

A joint investigation by West Norriton Township Police and the Montgomery County Detective Bureau determined the shooting was gang-related and resulted in six people being shot, including two innocent bystanders.

According to the investigation, an adult male was shot in the face while putting air in his vehicle’s tire, and an adult female was shot in the right side of her torso as she stood near the store’s entrance.

One member of the Unknown Bikers Outlaw Motorcycle Club was shot in the left forearm and thigh, authorities said.
Detectives used surveillance video, eyewitness accounts, and other evidence to piece together the events. Video showed two Unknown Bikers members arriving at 9:08 p.m. to refuel when nine Pagans arrived together at 9:10 p.m.

“Some of the Pagans surrounded the opposing gang members, while other Pagans positioned themselves to block any escape,” a release from the District Attorney stated. “Almost immediately, a physical altercation ensued … Video shows Pagan gang members tactically moving through the area and taking a shooting platform stance.”

One minute later, gunfire erupted, and the Pagans fled the scene toward Norristown. Detectives recovered 14 fired cartridge casings at the scene.

Norristown Police later located four motorcycles and five Pagan gang members traveling eastbound on Main Street. Officers found that Rosenberger, Higgins, Cwienk, Hernandez-Martinez, and Noll had all been shot and were transported to area hospitals.

The investigation involved the Montgomery County Detective Bureau’s Violent Crime Unit, the District Attorney’s Gun Violence Reduction Task Force, and police from West Norriton, Upper Merion, Norristown, Bridgeport, the Pennsylvania State Police, and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General’s Gun Violence Task Force.

For more details on the case and prior developments, read more here.

All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.

Motorcycle club member sought after violent fight injures several in St. Amant bar

Source: WBRZ March 10, 2026 12:35 PM
By: WBRZ Staff
https://www.wbrz.com/news/ascension-parish-deputies-2-arrested-1-wanted-after-bar-fight-involving-motorcycle-club-members/

ST. AMANT — Two people were arrested after a bar fight involving members of a motorcycle club in St. Amant, the Ascension Parish Sheriff’s Office said.

Deputies are still looking for a third suspect in the Feb. 22 brawl.

APSO says a large fight broke out in the early morning hours at an establishment along La. 431. Several people were severely injured, deputies added.

According to the sheriff’s office, Luis Carlos Olivas, 38, of Prairieville, Justin Fryoux, 42, of Geismar, and an unidentified suspect started the fight before leaving the scene. Deputies say Olivas is a known member of the Sons of Silence Motorcycle Club.

They believe the unknown suspect, seen in photos wearing a plaid shirt, blue jeans and a black hat, to also be a member or associate of the same club. He is approximately 5-feet-10-inches tall, 190 pounds, and has gauges in his ears and a possible neck tattoo below his right ear.

Trending News

Olivas was arrested on charges of second-degree battery, simple battery, disturbing the peace, simple criminal damage to property and computer tampering. Fryoux was arrested on charges of second-degree battery and disturbing the peace.

Three men jailed after biker feud escalates
Paul Burnell BBC North West Tonight March 7, 2026

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cm2r9n1q79qo

The gang dispute was uncovered by officers investigating a car crashing into a biker gang’s clubhouse in Cadishead, Salford on 23 August 2020, Greater Manchester Police said.

The five-year investigation led to the arrest of several members of the Manchester Bandidos motorcycle club, which revealed what the force described as an unexpected “world of criminality”.

Ringleader Steve Mason, gang members Dale Austin and Leslie Lamb were jailed for nine years, six years and 27 months respectively at Manchester Crown Court, after admitting a range of offences.

Police likened the feud to a “real world” example of the biker gang crime TV drama Sons of Anarchy.

The investigation first began with reports of a car hitting the clubhouse on Liverpool Road, Cadishead.

It emerged earlier that day members of the Hells Angels biker group had visited a pub near the Bandidos clubhouse on Chester Road in Trafford and spread themselves out along the road in what officers called “a show of disrespect, taunting their rivals who were not at the clubhouse at the time”.

Police believe a revenge plan was hatched that evening and a hired Peugeot was reversed into the front of the Hells Angels’ clubhouse before midnight, with phone data placing Lamb and a co-defendant in the area.

Lamb, 43, of Hartford Gardens, Timperley, who admitted criminal damage and cultivating cannabis, was the brains behind the revenge attack, police said.

A cannabis farm was later found in his home and his DNA matched that found on a 3D-printed firearm in Manchester.

Mason, 36, was linked to the manufacture of a PG22 Maverick 3D-printed revolver, with his DNA found on the trigger.

Officers also recovered a Llama .38 Special revolver, six rounds of live ammunition, various 3D printers and digital blueprints for other printable weapons.

Austin, 31, who lived with Mason, admitted possession of a prohibited firearm and being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.

He was linked to the revolver and ammunition seized in Exmouth.
Austin was also arrested for possession of Class A drugs during later enquiries.

‘Sons of Anarchy’

Det Con Mike Armstrong-Porter – who has since retired – said: “This investigation originally started out as a call in relation to a road traffic collision. What transpired turned out to be a world of criminality we were not expecting.

“This, in essence, was a real-world ‘Sons of Anarchy’ dispute between two motorcycle clubs with a real disliking to each other.”

He added it “escalated into an operation that would see us recover deadly, homemade, manufactured firearms capable of causing serious harm”.

Armstrong-Porter said the individuals “were part of an organised network prepared to arm themselves and others, with complete disregard for public safety”.

He added: “The recovery of 3D printers, digital blueprints, and component parts shows how easily technology can be exploited for criminal purposes.”

Taskforce Morpheus – National Day Of Action 2026
March 6, 2026

https://www.miragenews.com/taskforce-morpheus-national-day-of-action-2026-1632420/
Law enforcement agencies from across Australia and New Zealand have targeted the Comanchero Outlaw Motorcycle Club in a coordinated National Day of Action as part of Operation Morpheus.

The focus of the National Day of Action was to cause maximum disruption to the Comanchero’s through compliance and enforcement activities across Australia and New Zealand.

With a significant legacy of past national coordination and collaboration by law enforcement and partners in Australia and New Zealand, National Taskforce Operation Morpheus is a joint initiative. This includes all Australian State and Territory police, New Zealand Police, Australian Federal Police, Australian Border Force, Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, Australian Defence Force, AUSTRAC, Australian Taxation Office, and Services Australia collaboratively targeting the highest threat outlaw motorcycle gangs (OMCGs) impacting Australia and New Zealand.

The National Day of Action, held on Thursday 5 March 2026, was focused on disrupting and dismantling the organisational capability of the Comanchero OMCG. Across the country and New Zealand, police executed search warrants and arrest warrants, and targeted illicit firearms, weapons, drugs and traffic related offences.

Further actions undertaken by law enforcement agencies included conducting Firearms Prohibition Order (FPO) compliance checks, bail compliance checks, and dispersal/consorting related offences.

In total, Taskforce Morpheus resulted in 56 arrests (resulting in 168 charges), 37 FPO compliance checks, 51 search warrants executed, four visa cancellation referrals along with items being seized including illicit drugs, firearms and cash.

By proactively targeting OMCG’s throughout Australia and New Zealand in a day of action using a combination of enforcement, compliance and disruption techniques Operation Morpheus generates significant intelligence holdings. Shared intelligence relating gang to membership and associates, locations and gang related premises and criminal activities play a crucial role in national and international law enforcement awareness of links with OMCG’s like the Comancheros and organised crime.

As national organised crime continues to move into the illegal tobacco and vape industry, including OMCG involvement with other crime groups law enforcement and partners are actively focused on this activity, including the extreme violence, firearms, extortion, arson, and money laundering activities.

Leveraging shared capability and technology, National Taskforce Morpheus also targets criminal assets and unexplained wealth of key OMCG members, protects vulnerable people and develops national strategies to deter gang recruitment, reduce membership and target recidivism and enablers to organised crime.

Agency Key Results:

South Australia Police –

Small quantities of illicit substances seized, 11 Firearms Prohibition Order compliance searches were conducted. Significant additional contemporary criminal intelligence was gathered relating to the Comancheros activity in SA.

Detective Superintendent Shane Addison, officer in charge of SAPOL’s Serious and Organised Crime says, “Crime Gangs Taskforce participated in a coordinated National Day of Action focusing on the Comanchero Outlaw Motorcycle Gang by undertaking 11 searches to enforce Firearms Prohibition Orders (FPO), executing an additional search warrant. The searches resulted in 2 reports for possession of cannabis,1 report for drug driving, the seizure of steroids and resulted in the seizure of 2 dogs by the RSPCA related to animal neglect. Information gained from these searches has been used to enhance local and national picture of the operations and structure of the Comanchero OMCG.”

National Coordinator for Taskforce Morpheus National Day of Action and Detective Acting Inspector Sean Wright of the WA Police Force’s Serious and Organised Crime Division said these coordinated efforts sends a clear message to OMCG members.

“This National Day of Action demonstrates that jurisdictions across Australia and New Zealand are working together and remain committed to disrupting organised criminal activity, including outlaw motorcycle gangs. “The nationally aligned focus on OMCGs strengthens intelligence sharing between jurisdictions and further supports our enforcement objectives.

Our message to OMCGs and their supporters is clear: we are working together, we are watching at all times, and we will be relentless – not only on this day of action, but every day throughout the year. “This is a further reminder to the community that OMCGs are not harmless motorcycle clubs. They are violent criminal gangs causing harm and disruption. Their actions undermine public safety, and we continue to maintain a zero tolerance approach to their behaviour.”

HOUSTON FEDS TIE HOMIETOS BIKER TO BLOODY I-45 HIGHWAY AMBUSHES

By Maddie Taylor Hartley March 06, 2026
https://hoodline.com/2026/03/houston-feds-tie-homietos-biker-to-bloody-i-45-highway-ambushes/

Federal prosecutors in Houston say a member of the Homietos outlaw motorcycle club has been linked to a deadly series of highway shootings on Interstate 45 in April 2023, part of what they describe as a wider biker gang war that left three motorcyclists dead. According to a newly filed federal charging document, the attacks were not random road rage but alleged ambushes tied to an ongoing feud between rival motorcycle clubs. As reported by the Houston Chronicle, the Justice Department on Thursday charged Joseph Roy “Tequila” Gomez with participating in a racketeering conspiracy connected to the Homietos.

Prosecutors say the filing accuses Gomez of brandishing a gun during the I-45 attacks, helping to dispose of firearms afterward and joining meetings where members allegedly discussed keeping the shootings quiet. The Houston Chronicle reports that the Homietos defendants in the broader case are scheduled to go on trial in June, while a separate federal case targeting rival Bandidos members is set for May.

Where the Shootings Happened

The violence unfolded on April 14, 2023, along a busy stretch of I-45.

Around 11 a.m., a motorcyclist identified as William Kinnison was shot while riding north on I-45 in Spring. He later died at a hospital. Roughly an hour after that attack, three more motorcyclists were hit by gunfire near the Sam Houston statue outside Huntsville. Two of them, Andrew Cole and Ramiro Sosa, were killed. A third rider was airlifted to a Houston hospital.

In the immediate aftermath, authorities said the victims appeared to be affiliated with outlaw motorcycle clubs, and multiple agencies began investigating whether the two crime scenes were connected, according to KPRC Click2Houston.
Federal Filings Build on Earlier Homietos Case

The new allegations plug into a larger federal probe that had already produced racketeering and firearms charges against a dozen Homietos members in 2023.

Back on Sept. 25, 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Houston announced those arrests, describing a multi-year FBI investigation into violent acts tied to the club, including an assault at a banquet hall that prosecutors say fit a pattern of group-sanctioned violence. In that earlier case, The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the indictment accused Homietos members of carrying out assaults to protect the club’s power and reputation.

The latest filing that brings in the I-45 shootings is framed by prosecutors as an extension of that same racketeering narrative, now reaching onto one of the region’s busiest highways.

Prosecutors Paint a Wider Biker War

Prosecutors and reporters describe the violence as part of a longer-running split between the newer Homietos and the older, entrenched Bandidos organization. The Homietos allegedly broke away in 2017, then recruited members from the Tango Blast prison gang as they expanded chapters outside Texas.

The FBI has outlined what it calls a turf war in the Houston area that played out from about 2020 through 2024, with federal court filings tying shootings, assaults and arson to competing biker crews. A project by the Houston Chronicle chronicled that broader conflict and last year’s indictments of Bandidos members.

Legal Implications

The federal racketeering, murder and firearms counts hanging over both the Homietos and Bandidos cases carry serious weight. Prosecutors say some of the charges in the related prosecutions could bring life sentences if juries convict on the most severe counts.
A separate Justice Department announcement last year on the Bandidos indictments noted that murder in aid of racketeering and certain firearm offenses expose defendants to decades, and in some cases life, behind bars. In that statement, The U.S. Attorney’s Office also underscored a basic legal point that still applies here: indictments are only allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

What’s Next

For now, Gomez is the only person charged in the expanded federal conspiracy tied directly to the I-45 shootings, according to prosecutors. Investigators say the broader probe has involved the FBI working alongside state and local law enforcement agencies.
In the separate Bandidos case, defense attorneys have asked judges to adjust the court calendar, and any scheduling shifts will determine whether the two large biker prosecutions move ahead on the current timetable or slow down.

Authorities at both the local and federal level say the investigations remain active. They have asked anyone with information about the April 2023 shootings to contact investigators, a request first highlighted in early coverage of the attacks by KPRC Click2Houston.
Houston-Crime & Emergencies

Homietos MC RICO Charges For Interstate 45 Shootings of Rival Gang In Texas

Bandidos Motorcycle Club President ‘Hot Tub’ charged after 3 pounds of meth found in Lubbock raid

By Joseph Rowe KDFW Fox News March 4, 2026
https://www.fox4news.com/news/bandidos-motorcycle-club-president-steven-hot-tub-ryals-charged-meth-found-lubbock-raid

The Brief

• Bandidos chapter president Steven “Hot Tub” Ryals was federally charged Monday for possession with intent to distribute meth in Lubbock.
• Federal agents seized 3.2 pounds of meth and distribution supplies during a February 27 raid of the club’s clubhouse, which also served as Ryals’s home.

• Ryals remains in federal custody and faces a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted.
LUBBOCK, Texas – The chapter president of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club was federally charged for his role in possessing large quantities of methamphetamine for distribution in Lubbock on Monday.

Who is Bandidos Motorcycle Club President “Hot Tub”?

What we know:

74-year-old Steven Glenn Ryals of Lubbock, Texas, also known as “Hot Tub,” was charged by federal complaint on March 2, 2026, with possession with intent to distribute meth.

Ryals appeared before a United States Magistrate Judge in Lubbock on that same day, for his initial appearance on the charges.
Meth raid at Lubbock Bandidos clubhouse

Timeline:
In early 2025, law enforcement agents launched an investigation into the Banditos Notorious Chapter President and other Banditos members suspected of drug trafficking in the Lubbock area, according to the complaint.

On February 27, 2026, law enforcement agents executed a search warrant for the Banditos Notorious clubhouse, which was also Ryals’s residence.

Inside an office, federal agents located approximately 3.2 pounds of suspected methamphetamine inside a locked drawer of a wooden filing cabinet.

Next to the cabinet was another cabinet containing Ryals’ Bandidos Motorcycle Club paraphernalia.

Bandidos Motorcycle Club paraphernalia

In other areas of the office, agents found items that federal officials say “are commonly used in the distribution of controlled substances.” This included numerous small plastic baggies, digital scales, and a concealed compartment located inside a bookshelf.
Federal drug charges, potential prison sentence

What’s next:

If convicted, federal officials say Ryals faces a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
He remains in federal custody pending further court proceedings.

This investigation was a joint operation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Lubbock Texas Anti-Gang Center, and Caprock Hi-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA).

The Source: Information in this article was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Texas.