Ibrahim Barrie, 32, of Raleigh, was sentenced in federal court yesterday to 42 months in prison for his role in a credit card and cigarette trafficking scheme.
Barrie used stolen credit card account information to purchase large quantities of cigarettes in North Carolina, which later were resold in New York.
According to the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Barrie and his co-conspirators acquired stolen credit card data, and encoded it onto the magnetic strips of what appeared to be legitimate gift cards. They distributed the cards to “runners,” who traveled to various gas stations, convenience stores, and grocery stores located around the state, and used the cards to purchase dozens of cartons of cigarettes at a time. The runners returned the cigarettes to Barrie and his fellow managers, who paid the runners a kickback.
Managers, including Barrie, periodically made trips to New York to sell the cigarettes on the black market for cash.
Barrie was arrested in the summer of 2012 after a citizen indicated that Barrie and others attempted to have him purchase gasoline on Barrie’s credit card in exchange for payment. A search of Barrie and his vehicle revealed 20 cartons of cigarettes and 11 counterfeit gift cards. A subsequent search that year following a Virginia traffic stop revealed 600 cartons of cigarettes.
Barrie was found guilty of aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit access device fraud.
