Two brothers have been caught trying to steal £62,000 worth of Pokémon TCG by Cheshire police who aptly commented: “gotta catch ’em all!”—true, but I’m not sure Ash Ketchum envisioned it quite like this.
Keith Johnson, 33, pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary with intent to steal at a hearing which took place earlier this month and has since been sentenced to 29 months in prison (via IGN). While his accomplice and brother Shane Johnson, 37, admitted to the same offences and is set to be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court on July 31.
The brothers targeted Celestial Collectables in Warrington, a shop specialising in all things Pokémon, including memorabilia and TCG. They smashed the shop door in and began to ransack the store, taking £62,000 worth of Pokémon cards, and damaging the shop in excess of £3,000, before getting into a white Ford transit van and driving off.
The brothers went on to steal stock from Pokémon TCG shops in Stockton Heath, Warwickshire, and The Graded Gallery in Rugby. The latter of which had over £9,000 in damages inflicted on the store and cards stolen. The police found the brothers’ address by tracing the vans whereabouts, searched the property, and found the stolen cards.