Navajo community opposes liquor license

"This license is not in the best interest of our community," said Livingston, who was one of five residents living within a 1-mile radius of the proposed establishment who were allowed to speak against the liquor license application before the Arizona State Liquor Board.

It's the latest in a long-running debate over liquor sales near the Navajo Nation, and after months of community advocacy opposing the license, the board voted 5–1 on June 11 to deny the application.

Although Chambers is an unincorporated community, it is surrounded by the Navajo Nation, where many residents and community leaders expressed concerns about the potential impacts of alcohol sales in the area.

The Navajo Nation prohibits the sale, possession, and consumption of alcohol on reservation lands. Under Title 17 of the Navajo Nation Code, bringing alcohol onto the reservation is illegal and enforced through sobriety checkpoints and other public safety measures.

Livingston was especially worried about drivers exiting on and entering I-40, making their way "to visit Navajo tour sites. Highway 191 will become unsafe to tourist and community members because there will be many DUI drivers."

Application raises concerns about public safety

The Chieftain Mobil Gas Station is located at Exit 333, where Interstate 40 intersects with U.S. Highway 191 in Chambers. The site is immediately adjacent to and surrounded by Navajo Nation lands and communities.

Less than 10 miles away is Nahata Dziil, a Navajo Nation chapter and community within Sanders, another unincorporated town that faced its own disputes over liquor licenses over a decade ago.

Community opposition to the current application extended beyond the immediate area, with a petition against the license collecting over 1,000 signatures.

The Navajo Nation Naabik'iytai committee also voted against the liquor licenses. In the committee's opposition legislation, it cited the proximity of the proposed establishment to Navajo Nation communities.

It said the location "raises substantial and well-documented concerns regarding public health, safety, and welfare, including the demonstrated correlation between increased alcohol availability and elevated rates of alcohol-related injury, family disruption, impaired driving fatalities, and other serious harms that have disproportionately and persistently affected Native communities throughout this region."

On March 3, the Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren sent a letter to the Apache County Board of Supervisors opposing the Chieftain Mobil liquor license application and supporting concerns raised by surrounding Navajo communities.

On the same day, the board heard testimony from community members and chapter leaders about the potential impacts of alcohol sales in the Chambers and Sanders areas. After deliberation, supervisors unanimously voted to recommend denial of the application, citing concerns about the longstanding harms associated with alcohol in neighboring communities.

Gas station owner says he's losing business

Chieftain Mobil owner Sanjay M. Patel said one of the primary reasons he sought a liquor license was a significant decline in business, estimating that sales had dropped by about 30% in the past month alone.

Patel has operated the gas station and adjacent hotel for the past 15 years, establishments that are not on the Navajo Nation. During that time, Sanders has seen the opening of several new businesses that serve local residents and neighboring communities, reducing the need for long-distance trips to border towns such as Gallup, St. Johns and Holbrook for groceries and other services.

Among the newest additions is the $7 million Sanders Fuel Center, funded by the Navajo Nation Hospitality Enterprise, which includes a Marathon gas station and Sonic Drive-In. The development joins other established competitors in the area, including Speedway and the Navajo Travel Center.

Patel argued that selling alcohol would help his business remain competitive in an increasingly crowded market. He pointed out that no nearby competitors offer alcohol sales, with the closest outlets located about 45 miles away in Gallup, New Mexico, and in St. Johns, Arizona.

"Our business is down like 30%...we have motel and gas station, every day there are like one, or two, or three customers that come ask 'hey, you guys sell beer,'" said Patel. "Many times they say, 'Oh, you don't sell alcohol or anything? We're not going to stay.' Now that we are affect 30% down, we are thinking of getting the licenses because of that."

Michael Raine, Patel’s attorney, argued that the liquor license had become inactive in late 2025 and that his client was essentially relocating the existing license, held previously by another business. As a result, he contended that the application would not increase the overall availability of alcohol in the region.

He also noted that liquor licensing is unique in allowing limited local input, but that input is restricted to immediate community concerns and is not a vehicle for broadly prohibiting alcohol sales.

"Arizona law actually, in addition to allowing this immediate local protest, it also has a system to control how much alcohol flows in various counties," said Raine. "It's the quota system. Only so many licenses are available in counties, they've decided which licenses can be obtained from the department, which licenses are obtained only under a quota system."

Patel said he attended a Nahata Dziil chapter meeting, hoping to discuss the subject with community members and local leaders. He said he wanted to find common ground where he could accommodate the community in any way he could when it came to the license issue, but he said no one was interested in hearing what he had to say.

Liquor licenses have led to conflict in the past

Before the arrival of several new businesses in Sanders, the area was home to three liquor establishments — Ole Red Barn Liquor, High Country Liquor and Lee’s Liquor in Chambers. All three were owned by longtime Sanders resident Gary McDonald.

In 2014, McDonald faced criminal charges stemming from a 2012 search warrant executed at his residence. Authorities reported finding large quantities of a substance believed to be methamphetamine, along with 20 firearms, during the search.

Despite significant community opposition, he retained four liquor licenses that were renewed in May 2014. At the time, he sought to transfer two of those licenses to his close associate, George Ryan, for $2.50 each. The Navajo Nation, local residents, and the Apache County Board of Supervisors intervened to oppose and ultimately prevent the transfer.

In January 2015, community members from the Nahat’a Dziil Chapter traveled on two charter buses to Phoenix to attend an Arizona Liquor License Board hearing. After 12 hours of deliberation, the outcome of that hearing resulted in the denial of two liquor licenses for Ole Red Barn Liquor and Lee’s Liquor to Ryan.

"This community over a decade ago was severely affected by the presence of liquor establishments in this community," said protester John Stratton, who resides within the 1-mile radius and was allowed to speak out against Patel's license application. "At the county board of supervisors meeting, there was many testimonies given of people who lost loved ones...killed while walking on the road by drunk drivers, or were passed out and were run over."

Opponents cite alcohol-related incidents

Stratton provided some data compiled by the Navajo Nation Police for the Sanders and Chambers area during the time these establishments were open. According to figures, DUI-related cases decreased from 18 in 2012 to four in 2025. Reports of public intoxication also fell substantially, from 122 incidents in 2012 to 25 in 2025.

"This data provides objective confirmation that the absence of local alcohol sales has contributed to improved public safety outcomes in our community," said Stratton.

Opposition to the liquor license application was also submitted by several institutions serving the region, including the Northern Apache County Special Healthcare District, Fort Defiance Indian Hospital Board, Inc., Sanders Unified School District No. 18, and the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission. These organizations cited concerns about public health, family stability, student safety and the potential effects of increased alcohol availability on vulnerable populations, said Stratton.

The Navajo Nation serves alcohol in its casinos, but there are no casinos in Apache County. Raine asked Stratton should the Navajo Nation build a casino in Apache County, roughly 12 miles from Chieftain Mobil gas station, and decided to acquire a liquor license, would he be against that as well. Stratton said he would oppose it.

Roscoe Herrera, chief deputy with the Apache County Sheriff’s Office, said calls for service related to alcohol declined significantly after the liquor establishments in the area closed.

The data, which Herrera compiled at the request of a Sanders resident, focused primarily on alcohol-related incidents, including DUI arrests, reports of intoxicated individuals, disturbances, domestic violence cases, assaults, reckless driving and other calls linked to alcohol use.

His data showed more than 237 incidents involving intoxicated persons in 2014, followed by a sharp decline to 39 incidents in 2015, approximately 29 in 2016, and fewer than 40 incidents annually thereafter.

Apache County Sheriff's Department has about 20 personnel "that are boots on the ground, and to focus on the I-40 corridor, there is one commander, one sergeant supervising and five deputies. Two of those deputies are primarily assigned to I-40, while the other three patrol the northern portion of the district and provide support as needed," explained Herrera.

Deputy County Attorney Clint Metheney presented the county's case, citing data from Herrera indicating that alcohol-related crimes in the Chambers area would likely increase if the license were approved. He concluded his argument, stating that the proposed license was not in the best interests of the community, a position upheld by both the Board of Supervisors and the State Liquor Board.

"This community is not equipped to deal with the spike in crime," said Metheney, "That absolutely will result from the issuance of the license. The best interest of the community will not be substantially served. In fact, the opposite is true."