Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas is charged with drug trafficking and money laundering, DOJ says

Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas, one of the state's most powerful Democrats, was charged on Thursday in connection with what federal authorities alleged was a role leading a criminal enterprise that acquired and distributed large quantities of marijuana and laundered the proceeds.

An indictment unsealed on Thursday charged Lucas and six other defendants, including several of her relatives, the Department of Justice said in a statement ahead of a news conference scheduled for 10 a.m.


Lucas self surrendered, according to a Justice Department spokesperson

The charges came after the FBI searched Lucas' hometown office and a cannabis shop in which she has a stake in May.

At the time of the search, Lucas - who has been a vocal critic of Republican President Donald Trump's administration - characterized it as an attempt to intimidate her. The Associated Press was making efforts to contact Lucas' attorneys for comment on the charges.

The brash 82-year-old lawmaker has spent decades ascending the ranks of Virginia politics and has served since 1992 in the state Senate, where she is the president pro tempore, overseeing the chamber in the lieutenant governor's absence. More significantly, she leads the powerful Senate finance committee, through which all legislation with any budget impact must flow. She's used the position to stop and ultimately kill legislation she opposes.

The FBI alleges a  criminal marijuana enterprise'

FBI Director Kash Patel said in a statement that the charges allege  Lucas and a close-knit group of family members and associates orchestrated a multi-year scheme to enrich their own criminal marijuana enterprise,  the Lucas Enterprise' - using Lucas' position as Chairwoman of the Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee to insulate the enterprise from criminal scrutiny and influencing legislation to financially benefit themselves. 

 No one is above the law,  the statement said,  and this FBI will continue to follow the facts with our Justice Depart
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