The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Virginia state Sen. L. Louise Lucas (D) and several other individuals were charged with drug trafficking and money laundering.
During a press conference on Thursday, Attorney General Todd Blanche shared that seven people “were arrested or surrendered for allegedly participating in a large-scale RICO drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy.” Blanche added that on October 14, a federal grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia “returned an indictment against all seven individuals.”
“This morning, seven individuals were arrested or surrendered for allegedly participating in a large-scale RICO drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracy,” Blanche said. “One of those individuals is the President Pro Tempore of the Virginia State Senate, Lily Louise Lucas of Portsmouth, Virginia.”
“The defendants are currently in federal custody,” Blanche added.
Virginia Senate President pro tempore Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, listens to debate on the Senate floor, February 17, 2026, in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Ryan M. Kelly)
Blanche explained that Lucas was “charged and indicted with five counts; racketeering conspiracy, conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to launder money, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and maintaining a drug involved premises.”
The DOJ’s announcement comes after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) carried out a raid in May on Lucas’s office regarding an investigation into corruption. Agents were also reported to have searched a cannabis dispensary next door to Lucas’s office
During the press conference, Blanche also shared that the other six defendants in the indictment included Lucas’s daughters, Lisa Lucas Burke and Theresa Lucas-Lamb, the Associated Press reported.
Blanche said that Lucas’s grandson, Ryan Eichelberger, was also listed in the indictment.
“Prosecutors allege Sen. Louise Lucas used her position to shield a criminal marijuana enterprise,” FBI Director Kash Patel wrote in a post on X. “This FBI follows the evidence. Period.”
In a post on X, Lucas stated that the “full weight of the federal government” was “wielded” against her. Lucas added that she would “not be intimidated.”
“Today, the FBI, the Department of Justice, and the full weight of the federal government have been wielded against an 82-year-old great-grandmother,” Lucas said. “I grew up under Jim Crow. I’ve seen what happens when people in power try to silence those who stand up to them. I spent my life fighting back, and I’m not stopping now.”
“I have read the charging document alleging a series of criminal acts by a member of the Virginia Senate,” Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) wrote in a post on X. “In our American system of justice, people are presumed innocent until proven guilty, and that is true for Senator L. Louise Lucas. She and her family deserve the opportunity to present their defense and speak to the allegations presented.”
