L. Louise Lucas indicted in cannabis trafficking case

Virginia state senator L. Louise Lucas was arrested on Oct. 22 in connection with an alleged cannabis trafficking ring, US officials said.

US Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel announced the arrests of Lucas and six others. Blanche said the indictment alleges that Lucas “approved and directed criminal activities and other activities to benefit the affairs” of the trafficking ring.

Lucas, 82, was charged with several conspiracy counts, including racketeering and money laundering. Officials said those arrested also included her two daughters and a grandson.

Lucas said on X that “the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the full weight of the federal government have been wielded against an 82-year-old great-grandmother.” She added: “I will not be intimidated. I will not be bullied. And I will not back down.”

The FBI conducted a raid in May on Lucas’s home and on a legal marijuana dispensary she co-owned. Lucas, a Democrat and critic of President Donald Trump, was involved in a recent effort to redraw Virginia’s congressional districts that aimed to help Democrats gain four additional seats in the House of Representatives.

Blanche said the investigation into Lucas “started long before President Trump was reelected.”