COJ #195 - From Door-Kicker to Whistleblower: Former Top Cop Barry Cooper’s Case Against Bad Laws, Bad Raids & Plea for Better Policing
Cup Of JusticeShow Notes
Barry Cooper was once among the top drug agents in Texas — the youngest on his task force, with more arrests than the 30 agents beside him. Then one raid changed everything, and he flipped, becoming the man behind “Never Get Busted” and the cop-busting stings that made him a target of the very system he once served.
Joining investigative journalists Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell from his self-imposed exile in Vietnam, Barry pulls back the curtain on why cops really become cops, the “legal thievery” of civil asset forfeiture, why no-knock raids are unnecessary theater, and his radical blueprint for fixing American policing.
He also opens up about lawfare, PTSD, his award-winning documentary, and the 95% dismissal rate he’s earned freeing people from the drug war he once fought.
Meet Barry Cooper & give him a follow on Instagram and YouTube 🌐
Watch “Never Get Busted” on Apple TV or Fandango & "KopBusters" on YouTube 🎞️
"From Busted to Better" book on Amazon 📖
☕ Cups Up! ⚖️
Join LUNASHARK Premium on Patreon
Support Our Legal Defense GoFundMe: Help Journalist Mandy Matney Fight $176,500 Contempt Order
Or support our reporting: https://lunashark.supercast.com/donations/new
Lawyers & Judges: Send legal suggestions or offers for Pro Hac / Pro Bono representation to [email protected]
Episode References
“‘Never Get Busted’ Spins “Very Unique And Wild Tale” Of Barry Cooper, Cop Who Went Rogue Big Time – Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival” - Deadline, Oct 14, 2025 📰
My Khe Beach in Da Naang, Vietnam 🏖️
Stay Tuned, Stay Pesky and Stay in the Sunlight...☀️
LUNASHARK Premium on Patreon get access to all new bonus episodes, video episodes, case files, live trial coverage and exclusive live experiences with our hosts.
Luna Shark Merch With a Mission shop at lunasharkmerch.com/
Support Our Show, Sponsors and Mission: https://lunasharkmedia.com/support/
Quince - Hungry Root - Bombas
Find us on social media:
https://www.facebook.com/cupofjustice/ | https://www.instagram.com/cojpod/
Mandy Matney on Instagram | Liz Farrell on Instagram
YouTube | TIKTOK
*** Alert: If you ever notice audio errors in the pod, email [email protected] and we'll send fun merch to the first listener that finds something that needs to be adjusted! ***\ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from Cup Of Justice
Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell are joined by US Senate Candidate Dr. Annie Andrews, the pediatrician running in the wildest U.S. Senate race in South Carolina history.
Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell are joined by attorney Mandy Powers Norrell as the Greg Alexander story gets stranger. Joe McCulloch tells Court TV he's never met the client he's representing before the state grand jury.
Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell are again joined by Atlanta attorney Noah Pines for a rare glimmer of accountability in South Carolina: Judge Carmen Mullen is finally headed to a public disciplinary hearing — not over the Satterfield settlement, but over the night she was recorded trying to get a deputy to arrest a man for the crime of being weird in his own home.
Investigative journalists Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell are joined by Beth Braden to break down another wild Friday of filings.
Cups up to Katie Phang! The former prosecutor, trial attorney, and MSNBC anchor joins investigative journalists Mandy Matney and Liz Farrell for a conversation about what happens when you refuse to stay quiet.