TUPELO, Miss. (AP) — A Washington state Native American tribe is suing several Mississippi municipalities over allegations that law enforcement officials illegally invaded tribal lands during an FBI-led raid earlier this year.
The target of the Feb. 16 search was property that belongs to King Mountain Tobacco, which was under federal investigation in a black-market cigarette conspiracy. The city of Tupelo and Marshall County in Mississippi are among targets in the lawsuit.
The Confederated Tribes and Bands of Yakama Nation claim police barged onto tribal land without prior notice and invaded their peace.
The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reported that the lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Washington, seeks a court order compelling the defendants to notify the tribe of any entry onto reservation lands.
