Tip Leads to Arrest of West Texas Tango Gang Member in Midland

AUSTIN, TX — A documented West Texas Tango gang member who was on the Texas Department of Public Safety's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list has been arrested in Midland, DPS announced Tuesday.

Ronnie Matthew Velarde, 37, was taken into custody Aug. 18 after law enforcement officers tracked him to a residence in Midland following a tip.

Members of the U.S. Marshals Lone Star Fugitive Task Force, including DPS Criminal Investigations Division special agents, Midland police officers and Midland County Sheriff's Office deputies, made the arrest. Midland Crime Stoppers and the Texas Anti-Gang Permian Basin Center also assisted in the investigation.

Velarde had been wanted since May for a parole violation stemming from previous convictions for burglary of a habitation and engaging in organized criminal activity.

According to DPS, Velarde has an extensive criminal history in the Midland area dating to 2008, including convictions for burglary of a habitation, engaging in organized criminal activity, evading arrest or detention, theft of property, criminal mischief, failure to identify, manufacture or delivery of a controlled substance and possession of a controlled substance.

He has served multiple prison sentences in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and was most recently released on parole in April 2025.

A Texas Crime Stoppers reward will be paid for information that led to Velarde's arrest.

DPS said Texas Crime Stoppers, which is funded by the Governor's Public Safety Office, offers cash rewards for information leading to the arrest of fugitives on the state's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives, Sex Offenders and Criminal Illegal Immigrants lists.

So far in 2026, DPS and its law enforcement partners have arrested 53 individuals on those lists, including 37 sex offenders and nine gang members. A total of $74,000 in rewards has been paid for tips that resulted in arrests.

Authorities remind the public that tips eligible for rewards must be submitted anonymously through the Texas Crime Stoppers hotline, the DPS website or the DPS Facebook page.