A pair of Pokémon card thieves have been caught after their getaway van broke down and they were found holding £71,000 of stolen stock (around $95,000).
The two brothers, Keith and Shane Johnson, pled guilty to burglary at a court in Birmingham, UK last week, with the former sentenced to 29 months in jail. His brother will be sentenced later this month, Cheshire Police stated.
Neither man appears to be a criminal mastermind. The Johnsons first targeted Celestial Collectibles, a store that specializes in rare Pokémon cards and merchandise in Warrington. Police were alerted after the break-in was spotted.
Escaping in a Ford transit van, the duo’s scheme was halted after the vehicle broke down — leaving the brothers to get out and push it to where a second getaway van was waiting. This second vehicle was then found parked outside their house.
Despite this, the brothers went on to target a second business, The Graded Gallery in Rugby. Again, more Pokémon card stock was stolen and the store was left in disarray. In both instances, the brothers used a crowbar to smash their way into the shop and cause thousands of pounds worth of damage in the process.
Ultimately, police caught up with the brothers at their house — where they found the missing cards, keys to both getaway vehicles and clothing worn during the first burglary.
“The overwhelming evidence collected through our extensive enquiries put them at both crime scenes giving them no choice but to plead guilty,” said Cheshire Police spokesperson DC Hannah Smith in a statement. “The brothers will now have to pay the price for their part in their criminal Pokémon enterprise.”
These thefts are just the latest in a seemingly never-ending spate of burglaries targeting Pokémon cards due to their high value, driven by huge popularity and continuing scarcity. That’s despite The Pokémon Company manufacturing an astonishing 10 billion cards in 2025 alone — more cards than the number of people on the planet, and still nowhere near enough to meet demand.
Card manufacturing has been boosted significantly in recent years to try and keep up with demand. 43 billion cards were printed in the 25 years between October 1996 and March 2022, but essentially the same amount again has now been released in just the past four years. And with the brand’s eye-catching 30th anniversary set due in September, the situation is unlikely to calm down anytime soon.
Last week, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said The Pokémon Company would “take measures” to deal with the rampant shortages and scalping, though stopped short of mentioning anything specific. In the meantime, the past year alone has seen countless instances where trading card stores have been broken into overnight.
One card shop in New York was recently targeted by armed thieves in broad daylight, leaving terrified staff and shoppers held at gunpoint. In May, reports emerged of a Florida man who was arrested on suspicion of stealing $12,000 of Pokémon cards while wielding a battery-powered chainsaw. And in April, another desperate Pokémon fan was arrested in Pasadena, California, after hiding inside a closed Best Buy ahead of a Pokémon card drop. At least in England, these two thieves have been captured.
Image credit: Cheshire Police.
Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
