{"id":691458,"date":"2026-10-23T12:07:25","date_gmt":"2026-10-23T12:07:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=691458"},"modified":"2026-10-23T12:07:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T12:07:25","slug":"no-one-is-above-the-law-dem-lawmaker-charged-with-weed-trafficking-and-money-laundering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/?p=691458","title":{"rendered":"\u2018No one is above the law\u2019: Dem lawmaker charged with weed trafficking and money laundering"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/div>\n

A powerful Democrat Virginia state senator has been indicted on federal charges including marijuana trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering.<\/p>\n

Sen. L. Louise Lucas, who has been in office for more than three decades, surrendered to federal authorities on Thursday after she was charged in a public corruption case that comes less than two weeks before the midterm elections.<\/p>\n

The 82-year old Democrat and a half dozen other people, including her daughters, stand accused of conspiring to distribute more than 200 pounds of pot and launder the profits in an investigation that began during the Biden administration but picked up steam after federal agents searched a cannabis shop she co-owns earlier this year.<\/p>\n

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L. Louise Lucas, a powerful Virginia state senator and vocal Trump critic who played a central role in the state\u2019s redistricting effort last year, was taken into federal custody Thursday and charged in connection with an alleged bribery and racketeering scheme, the Justice Department said. https:\/\/t.co\/S3dTDh56RQ<\/p>\n

\u2014 CBS Evening News with Tony Dokoupil (@CBSEveningNews) October 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Charges against the president pro tempore of the Virginia Senate were made public by Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel during a Thursday news conference in Norfolk, where it was announced that Lucas had been indicted on five counts.<\/p>\n

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BREAKING: Virginia state Sen. Louise Lucas faces five federal charges in an alleged criminal enterprise involving marijuana trafficking, money laundering, and political corruption.<\/p>\n

Attorney General Todd Blanche says prosecutors accuse Lucas of directing criminal activities, overseeing the laundering of drug proceeds, and using her political influence to demand and accept a bribe.<\/p>\n

Seven defendants are charged in connection with the alleged operation, which prosecutors say also involved an attempt to influence Virginia legislation for personal and family benefit.<\/p>\n

Download the FOX News app for the latest details: https:\/\/t.co\/ISpW9Fc0R3<\/p>\n

\u2014 Fox News (@FoxNews) October 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cLouise Lucas has served in a position of public trust in the Commonwealth of Virginia for over three decades,\u201d Blanche said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cThe charges alleged in this indictment reveal the behavior of a public servant who put her own financial interests before the people she was elected to serve. Our federal prosecutors will continue to be guided by the facts and evidence that led a grand jury to indict Ms. Lucas and her alleged co-conspirators.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one is above the law,\u201d Patel said in a post to X.<\/p>\n

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30+ years in office. Federally indicted.<\/p>\n

Prosecutors allege Sen. Louise Lucas used her position to shield a 5-year marijuana enterprise involving her family\u2014nearly $5M involved.<\/p>\n

Thanks to @AGToddBlanche, @TheJusticeDept, FBI agents &amp; partners.<\/p>\n

No one is above the law.<\/p>\n

-DKP\"\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8\" https:\/\/t.co\/9WZc5Umu0K<\/p>\n

\u2014 FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) October 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s indictment reveals Louise Lucas allegedly abused her position of public trust as a 30-year Virginia State Senator to put her own financial interests ahead of the people she represents \u2014 orchestrating a five-year scheme worth an estimated $4.5 million,\u201d Patel said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe charges allege Lucas and a close-knit group of family members and associates used Lucas\u2019 position as Chairwoman of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee to protect their criminal marijuana enterprise \u2014 the \u2018Lucas Enterprise\u2019 \u2014 insulating the business from criminal scrutiny and influencing legislation to financially benefit themselves,\u201d the FBI boss added.<\/p>\n

A vocal critic of President Donald J. Trump who cheered indictments against him, Lucas has now found out that life comes at you fast.<\/p>\n

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Life comes at you fast! https:\/\/t.co\/R6Aph3XcnH<\/p>\n

\u2014 Stevie Stacks (@StevieStacks84) October 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Lucas wasted no time in whipping out the race card.<\/p>\n

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https:\/\/t.co\/hKT5NbUXpa<\/p>\n

\u2014 L. Louise Lucas (@SenLouiseLucas) October 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cToday, the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the full weight of the federal government have been wielded against an 82-year-old great-grandmother,\u201d she said in a statement. \u201cI grew up under Jim Crow. I\u2019ve seen what happens when people in power try to silence those who stand up to them. I spent my life fighting back and I\u2019m not stopping now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger slammed the Justice Department over the indictment of her fellow Democrat before an election.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe timing of this indictment undermines the U.S. Department of Justice\u2019s previously longstanding policy of not taking legal actions \u2014 to include indictments or significant investigative steps \u2014 close to an election and sadly, this timing further erodes the trust the American people deserve to have in the Department of Justice,\u201d Spanberger said<\/a> in a statement posted to social media.<\/p>\n

Blanche has rejected the suggestions of political impropriety, noting that the investigation of Lucas began under the previous administration, one run by Democrats.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t do political paybacks,\u201d the attorney general told reporters.<\/p>\n

<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A powerful Democrat Virginia state senator has been indicted on federal charges including marijuana trafficking, money laundering, and racketeering. Sen. L. Louise Lucas, who has been in office for more than three decades, surrendered to federal authorities on Thursday after she was charged in a public corruption case that comes less than two weeks before… Continue reading \u2018No one is above the law\u2019: Dem lawmaker charged with weed trafficking and money laundering<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[18,19,10,21,12,11,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-691458","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cancel-culture","category-censorship","category-civil-liberties","category-election-integrity","category-equal-justice","category-free-speech","category-religious-freedom","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691458","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=691458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/691458\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=691458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=691458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buglecall.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=691458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}