A Lubbock man identified as the president of the Bandidos Motorcycle Club’s Notorious Chapter has been charged with possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, according to an announcement from United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
Steven Glenn Ryals, 74, also known as “Hot Tub,” was charged by federal complaint on March 2, 2026. He appeared before a United States Magistrate Judge in Lubbock that same day and remains in federal custody pending further court proceedings. If convicted, Ryals could face up to twenty years in federal prison.
The complaint states that law enforcement began investigating Ryals and other Bandidos members suspected of methamphetamine trafficking in early 2025. On February 27, 2026, agents executed a search warrant at the Banditos Notorious clubhouse, which also served as Ryals’s residence. Inside an office, they found approximately 3.2 pounds of suspected methamphetamine inside a locked drawer of a wooden filing cabinet. Nearby was another cabinet containing paraphernalia related to the Bandidos Motorcycle Club.
Additional items associated with drug distribution were discovered elsewhere in the office, including small plastic baggies, digital scales, and a concealed compartment within a bookshelf.
The investigation involved cooperation between several agencies: the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Lubbock Texas Anti-Gang Center; Caprock Hi-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA); Drug Enforcement Administration; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Texas Department of Public Safety; Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office; and Lubbock Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Stephen Rancourt is prosecuting the case.
“A complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
