Two more charged in alleged Manchester card-skimming and cryptocurrency laundering ring

Detectives from the Fraud Squad and the Financial Crime Investigation Division of the Specialised Investigation Branch have arrested and charged two more persons in connection with an ongoing investigation into a card-skimming and cryptocurrency laundering ring operating in Manchester.

They are Alrick Bruce, 25, a fast food restaurant employee, and Shanae Smith, 23, a sales representative, both of Mandeville, Manchester.

Bruce was charged with conspiracy to defraud, simple larceny, possession of identity information, and breaches of the Proceeds of Crime Act, while Smith was charged with conspiracy to defraud and unlawfully making available a device or data for the commission of an offence.

Both were arrested and charged on Monday and are scheduled to appear in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Monday, May 4.

Their arrests follow the initial apprehension of three fast food employees on February 14, 2026, after unauthorised transactions totalling over $600,000 were reported.

During simultaneous operations in Maverley, St Andrew, and Mandeville, Manchester, two firearms and five rounds of ammunition were also seized.

It is alleged that between June 2025 and January 2026, Bruce compromised the card information of several customers while working at a restaurant drive-thru.

He reportedly used the stolen funds to purchase Bitcoin and then transferred approximately $1.5 million to a bank account owned by Smith.