FBI raids Sen. Louise Lucas’ Portsmouth office, cannabis business

by Markus Schmidt, Virginia Mercury
May 6, 2026

Federal agents on Wednesday morning raided the Portsmouth office of state Sen. Louise Lucas, one of Virginia’s most powerful Democratic lawmakers, a representative of the Federal Bureau of Investigations confirmed Wednesday, after multiple news outlets reported an extensive law enforcement operation that included FBI agents, SWAT teams and court-authorized searches tied to several locations across the commonwealth.

Adjacent to Lucas’ office is The Cannabis Outlet, a hemp- and cannabis related retail business linked to the longtime state senator. Fox News reported that SWAT teams arrived there with weapons drawn and ordered everyone inside to exit the building with their hands up. At least three people were reportedly placed in handcuffs and taken into custody.

Lucas arrived at the scene shortly after the raid began. When asked by a reporter what the federal action was about, she replied that she had no idea.

Lucas did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but she later cast the raid as an act of political intimidation, saying the federal action was “about far more than one state senator” and reflected “a clear pattern from this administration.”

In a statement released on X, formerly Twitter, she tied the raid to last month’s redistricting referendum, saying Virginians had voted “to stop (President Donald) Trump’s scheme to manipulate the 2026 midterm elections.”

Lucas said she was grateful for the support she had received and vowed to keep fighting.

“I am not backing down, and I will keep fighting for the people of Portsmouth and the commonwealth of Virginia,” she said.

The scope of the investigation sent shockwaves through Virginia political circles because of Lucas’ outsized role in state government and Democratic politics.

U.S. Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News, whose district includes Portsmouth, was among the first elected officials to publicly respond to the raid, arguing the federal action comes amid what he described as Trump’s attacks on political opponents.

“While we await the full facts of the investigation, it must be acknowledged that this FBI raid occurs in the broader context of President Trump’s repeated abuse of the Department of Justice to target his perceived political opponents,” Scott said in an emailed statement.

He also noted the raid came roughly two weeks after Lucas helped lead Virginia’s redistricting referendum effort, which Democrats hailed as a rejection of Trump-backed attempts to influence GOP states to redraw their congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Scott added that “like all Americans, Senator Lucas has a right to due process and a presumption of innocence.”

House Speaker Don Scott, D-Portsmouth, urged caution as details about the federal investigation remained unclear. He too noted that Lucas had not been charged with a crime.

“Let’s start with this: Senator L. Louise Lucas has not been charged with anything,” Scott said in a statement. He added that, given what he described as the politicization of the Trump administration’s Justice Department and FBI, “people should take this with a grain of salt and allow the facts to come out before jumping to conclusions.”

Scott also questioned how Fox News appeared to be positioned at the scene early in the operation and said Virginians deserve more transparency about the raid.

“At this point we simply do not know what this ultimately means,” he said. “Right now, there is far more theatrics and speculation than actual information available to the public.”

The Virginia Legislative Black Caucus echoed those concerns, calling for transparency as details about the investigation remained scarce throughout Wednesday.

In a statement, the caucus said Lucas “has consistently and honorably served this commonwealth” and warned that Virginians expect “a justice system that is fair, unbiased and free from personal political persecution.”

The group added that Lucas deserves due process and that the public deserves “full transparency” about the investigation.

Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones also emphasized that there was not yet enough public information to draw conclusions about the FBI activity in Portsmouth.

Jones said previous actions by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia had “undermined public confidence” in the office, citing failed prosecutions involving former FBI Director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James.

“I urge everyone to exercise restraint in judgment until the relevant facts are known in this matter,” Jones said.

Gov. Abigail Spanberger declined to offer her take on the investigation Wednesday.

“Certainly I am aware of the law enforcement action that occurred in Portsmouth, and I am awaiting more details to become public before weighing in with any strong public comment,” Spanberger told reporters during a visit in Stafford County.

Lucas, 82, has served in the Virginia Senate since 1992 and currently serves as the chamber’s president pro tempore, making her one of the highest ranking members of the General Assembly. A Democrat from Portsmouth, she has long been one of the legislature’s most influential and combative political figures, particularly on budget and fiscal matters.

She also chairs the powerful Senate Finance and Appropriations Committee, placing her at the center of this year’s contentious intraparty budget negotiations.

In recent months, Lucas has pushed aggressively to end or scale back Virginia’s lucrative sales and use tax exemptions for data centers, arguing the incentives have become too costly for the state and place growing strain on Virginia’s electric grid and infrastructure.

House Democrats and Spanberger have resisted the effort, creating a major impasse that has delayed completion of the state budget.

Lucas has also played a leading role in Virginia’s controversial redistricting referendum approved by voters last month. She was among the key Democratic architects behind the constitutional amendment effort, which would allow Virginia to redraw congressional maps mid-decade under certain political conditions.

The amendment remains in legal limbo while under review by the Supreme Court of Virginia following a court challenge questioning whether lawmakers properly followed constitutional procedures before placing the measure on the ballot.

Beyond her legislative work, Lucas has also faced scrutiny tied to Virginia’s evolving cannabis laws. Virginia legalized simple possession of marijuana in 2021 through legislation Lucas co-sponsored.

But a 2022 Virginia Mercury investigation found that cannabis-related products sold at The Cannabis Outlet contained levels of THC inconsistent with labeling and were being sold in a largely unregulated retail environment that existed before Virginia established a legal recreational cannabis marketplace.

At the time, laboratory testing commissioned by The Mercury found some products sold at the store exceeded advertised THC concentrations. The story put a spotlight on concerns about Virginia’s loosely regulated hemp and cannabis market following legalization of marijuana possession but before creation of a fully regulated retail sales system, which is now before Spanberger.

As of Wednesday afternoon, federal authorities had not publicly indicated whether the raids were connected to Lucas’ cannabis business, her legislative activities or another matter entirely.

Virginia Mercury reporter Shannon Heckt and freelancer Roger Chesley contributed to this story.

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