Court Victory for Two Police Officers Detained in 2022 Acklins Drug Bust

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – Two police officers detained following a major drug bust in Acklins in 2022 have scored a legal victory.

Justice Cheryl Bazard KC has ruled Arnold Cooper and Brandon Dean are entitled to damages for unlawful arrest and reputational harm.

The judge has directed the Supreme Court Registrar to determine how much the two officers will receive.

The lawsuit stems from events on June 10th, 2022, when the officers’ homes were searched and their phones and firearms confiscated.

The searches were carried out under the direction of then-Chief Superintendent Roberto Goodman, who at the time headed the Drug Enforcement Unit.

Cooper and Dean were also taken from Acklins to New Providence against their will and were not allowed to speak to each other.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force also issued a press statement concerning the arrests of three police officers and two Colombian nationals following a drug seizure on June 7th, 2022.

In his testimony, Goodman maintained that Cooper and Dean were witnesses, not suspects.

However, Justice Bazard found that the objective facts showed the two officers were, in fact, treated as suspects.

The court’s ruling comes as the fallout from the case continues for those connected to the 2022 drug seizure.

Former Assistant Superintendent of Police, Sonny Miller, the third officer detained in connection with the seizure, was sentenced to six years in prison in February 2026.

Miller was convicted of helping Colombian drug traffickers offload a shipment from a plane.

The shipment involved 72 kilos of cocaine and 15 kilos of marijuana.