news.today
Hello · Register today | LoginHello · My Account[—] [32]
US

Virginia state senator indicted in marijuana racketeering scheme

Summarised from 5 outlets · 6 reports · Updated 22 Oct, 15:28 · Archive

Virginia state senator L. Louise Lucas, 82, has been indicted on charges including drug trafficking, money laundering and bribery.

Virginia state senator L. Louise Lucas, 82, has been indicted on charges of drug trafficking, money laundering, fraud and bribery. She surrendered to law enforcement on Thursday morning. A 45-page indictment filed in the Eastern District of Virginia names seven defendants in total, with Lucas facing five of eight charges.

Federal prosecutors allege that since at least 2019, Lucas led what they call 'the Lucas Enterprise', a criminal scheme involving the acquisition and distribution of more than 100 kilograms of marijuana. The enterprise allegedly operated through The Cannabis Outlet, a cannabis dispensary in Portsmouth, Virginia that Lucas co-owns. Virginia allows medical marijuana dispensaries but does not permit recreational marijuana sales.

According to the indictment, Lucas used her position as Chairwoman of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee to influence state legislation and regulations that would benefit the enterprise and financially enrich herself and co-defendants. She is also accused of using her political influence to insulate the alleged criminal operation from scrutiny by state law enforcement.

Lucas is charged alongside her two daughters, Lisa-Lucas Burke and Theresa Lucas-Lamb, her grandson Ryan Eichelberger, and three other co-defendants. The indictment alleges the group conspired to distribute and possess marijuana, launder money and commit bribery by distributing large quantities of illegal marijuana under the guise of a legal medical cannabis business.

The charges emerged after federal law enforcement searched Lucas' office and The Cannabis Outlet in May. The investigation began during the Biden administration, according to sources familiar with the case. Court records had been sealed for months prior to the indictment's unsealing on Thursday.

FBI Director Kash Patel said in a Justice Department statement that Lucas 'put her own financial interests before the people she was elected to serve'. Attorney General Todd Blanche noted that Lucas has served in elected office in Virginia for over three decades. Lucas characterised the May search as an attempt to intimidate her and has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump.

Marijuana remains federally illegal for any purpose outside limited research, though Virginia and 23 other states have legalised it under local law for recreational or medical use. The Justice Department typically tolerates state-legal marijuana businesses unless other criminal activity is allegedly occurring. Lucas was nationally known this year for pushing a dramatic redrawing of Virginia's congressional districts to favour Democrats; that voter-approved plan was struck down by Virginia's supreme court in May.

Virginia state senator indicted in marijuana racketeering scheme
Image: Independent World

Comments (0)

How it is being reported

In this story: L. Louise Lucas · Virginia · The Cannabis Outlet · Portsmouth · Lisa-Lucas Burke · Theresa Lucas-Lamb · Ryan Eichelberger · Eastern District of Virginia

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem