SIB DETECTIVES NAB MORE SUSPECTS IN CARD-SKIMMING AND CRYPTO-LAUNDERING RING
Detectives from the Fraud Squad and Financial Crime Investigation Division of the Specialised Investigation Branch (SIB) arrested two additional suspects on Monday, March 2, in connection with an ongoing investigation into a card-skimming and cryptocurrency laundering ring operating in Manchester.
Charged are Alrick Bruce, 25, a fast-food restaurant employee and Shanae Smith, 23, a sales representative. Both reside on Highway Drive, Mandeville, Manchester.
Their arrest followed the initial apprehension of three fast-food employees on February 14, 2026, where unauthorised transactions totalling over JM$600,000 were reported. Two firearms and five rounds of ammunition were also seized during simultaneous operations in Maverly, St. Andrew and Mandeville, Manchester.
Reports are that between June 2025 and January 2026, Bruce allegedly compromised several customers’ card information while working at a restaurant drive-thru, which he would use to purchase Bitcoin, then transfer the funds – approximately JM$1.5 million – to a bank account owned by Smith.
Bruce was charged with Conspiracy to Defraud, Simple Larceny, Possession of Identity Information and breaches of the Proceeds of Crime Act. Smith has been charged with Conspiracy to Defraud and Unlawfully Making Available a Device or Data for the Commission of an Offence.
They are to appear in the Kingston and St. Andrew Parish Court on May 4.
