By PAVEL BAILEY
Tribune Staff Reporter
pbailey@tribunemedia.net
TWO police officers testified yesterday in the trial of former Police Staff Association chairman, Sonny Miller, 46, identifying 87 packages of drugs seized in Acklins in 2022.
Officers from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, working with the US Coast Guard, seized 181 lbs of cocaine and 31 lbs of marijuana on June 6, 2022.
Miller, represented by Bjorn Ferguson, faces eight drug-related charges before Senior Magistrate Shaka Serville.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Roberto Goodman, an investigator, and Sergeant Leslie Wilson, one of Miller’s arresting officers, identified the drugs at the police warehouse. They confirmed that 15 packages contained marijuana, while the remaining 72 held cocaine, based on testing.
Both officers identified their signatures on the packages before they were admitted as evidence. Sergeant Wilson had previously testified that he allegedly saw Miller removing the packages from a plane that had arrived from Venezuela and landed in Acklins.
Miller, along with two Colombian nationals, Christhian Gaviria Aragon, 33, and Christhian Garcia Aristizabal, faces six charges related to possession and conspiracy to possess and supply dangerous drugs. Only the Colombians face importation charges. Miller also faces two counts of abetment to importation.
Earlier this year, Aragon alleged that Miller threatened him with a gun after a US Coast Guard helicopter appeared during the drug bust.
He claimed after landing in Acklins with a plane containing 400kg of cocaine and 15kg of marijuana, he handed over drugs to Miller and an officer who had arrived in a marked police jeep. When the Coast Guard helicopter approached, Miller allegedly threw the drugs on the ground, cursed at Aragon, and waved a gun at him.
Aragon, helped by a Spanish translator, testified that he feared for his life during the incident. He claimed to have cooperated with authorities following the arrest. During cross-examination, he admitted that was his first time drug-running and that he was supposed to be paid but had not received the full amount.
Terry Archer, Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, and Shaneka Carey are leading the prosecution. The trial has been adjourned until December.
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