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A sheriff in Northern California is addressing concerns after a Native American tribe accused him of exceeding his authority during cannabis farm raids on tribal land. This occurred last year, amid his claims that drug cartels were gaining a foothold in the region.
Mendocino County Sheriff Matthew Kendall shared with Fox News Digital that his office has received requests from tribal members for help against illegal cannabis operations and crime on the reservation. He clarified that most of the raids performed by his office did not occur on tribal territory.
“They are pleading with me, saying, ‘Please, we hear gunshots all night,'” he remarked. “The callers include both tribal members and non-tribal members. I must protect these people and uphold the law. However, when I go in to execute search warrants, it seems I end up being sued afterward.”
“The economy is struggling, making it susceptible to negative influences,” he noted regarding cartel activities. “We have seen numerous shootings and violence in the area. It’s simply unacceptable.”
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Mendocino County Sheriff Matthew Kendall has raised concerns about cartel involvement in illegal marijuana operations in his area, including on tribal land. He is now facing a lawsuit from a tribe. (Getty Images | Google Maps | Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office)
Kendall is one of several defendants in a lawsuit that alleges he conducted raids beyond his jurisdiction, including one that reportedly damaged an elderly woman’s garden.
The Round Valley Indian Tribes, along with three individuals—April James, 48, Eunice Swearinger, 86, and Steve Britton—are seeking a federal court order to prevent the sheriff’s department from conducting further raids on their land.
The lawsuit also names Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal, a Humboldt deputy, California Highway Patrol Commissioner Sean Duryee, and the counties of Mendocino and Humboldt, claiming that law enforcement operations targeted multiple sites on the tribe’s reservation unlawfully.
Lester Marston, an attorney for the plaintiffs, stated to Fox News Digital that Kendall attempted to exert authority on tribal land through the raids.
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Alleged cultivation operation in Covelo, California. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
“He has received training on his jurisdiction,” Marston argued, asserting that the sheriff is aware he has no authority on the reservation. “If he truly didn’t know, then he’s quite uninformed.”
Marston further claimed Kendall neglected to inform the judge in his warrant application that at least one raid would occur on tribal land.
Kendall mentioned that there are around 1 million marijuana plants in the valley and noted that cartels have invested heavily in establishing cannabis operations there. Satellite images he presented to Fox News Digital reportedly reveal marijuana-growing structures across the region.
Kendall indicated that Round Valley is currently plagued with illicit cannabis and cartel-related crimes, along with a rising murder rate.
Mendocino County Sheriff Matthew Kendall stated that tribal members have requested his assistance in addressing crime on the reservation. (JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)
“I believe drug trafficking organizations now have a foothold in that area and other locations in my county,” Kendall said. “Illegal marijuana operations are diminishing because prices have dropped significantly. In contrast, Round Valley is witnessing an increase in such activities.”
The lawsuit focuses on the enforcement of Public Law 280, an old statute that authorizes California and a few other states—Alaska, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, and Wisconsin—to enforce criminal laws on tribal land. However, lawyers for the plaintiffs argue that the law does not pertain to regulatory issues like cannabis, which is regulated in California.
They argue that Round Valley should be allowed to create and enforce its own laws. The statute has significantly limited federal criminal jurisdiction on most reservations in the six applicable states while broadening state jurisdiction considerably.
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“He is mandated to enforce criminal laws on the reservation,” stated David Dehnert, another attorney for the plaintiffs, to Fox News Digital. “However, he lacks the authority to enforce California’s regulatory laws on the reservation, which is precisely what they have done.”
Dehnert mentioned that the tribe has established its own marijuana regulations and that Kendall was aware of them prior to the raids. He claimed he sent Kendall a cease-and-desist letter following the incidents.
Marston argued that Kendall acted outside his jurisdiction, likening the situation to attempting to enforce California’s laws in Nevada.
A view of Mendocino County revealing multiple marijuana grow operations, according to Sheriff Matthew Kendall. (Google Maps)
“He was aware that the tribe had passed a law banning possession, sale, and cultivation of cannabis, except for medical purposes,” Marston noted.
The raids took place in July 2024, with the plaintiffs alleging that deputies left homes and gardens in disarray.
James, a grandmother struggling with arthritis and a degenerative disc disorder, uses her own cannabis crop to create a medicinal cream for daily pain relief, as reported in the lawsuit. She claimed that two structures on her property were demolished by a tractor, which mixed the soil, plants, and any improvements into a pile of debris.
At Swearinger’s residence, sheriff’s deputies reportedly invaded her vegetable garden and uprooted her plants, according to her attorneys. The situation was particularly distressing as her grandchildren were present, watching as heavily armed officers stood guard, the lawsuit claimed.
Swearinger possessed a license to cultivate 10 plants on her land, according to Marston.
Britton, a rancher, reported that deputies ruined his cannabis plants, cultivation structures, equipment, fencing, and an electric gate.
The lawsuit asserts that in all three raids, authorities failed to provide valid search warrants.
The Round Valley Indian Tribes did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Kendall defended his actions, stressing his responsibility to ensure safety in the county and dismissed claims that race played a role in the raids.
“That’s complete nonsense,” he asserted. “I’m not going to entertain that for a second. It’s outright false.”
He mentioned that he was raised in the Round Valley area of Mendocino County and clarified that he did not personally choose which properties were raided, instead targeting the largest and most problematic grow sites.
