Two brothers admit to stealing more than £71,000 worth of Pokémon TCG cards after failing to escape the police and hide the loot

Two brothers, Keith and Shane Johnson, aged 33 and 37, have admitted to stealing over £71,000 worth of Pokémon trading cards and other items from collectibles stores in Warrington, Cheshire. The thefts included a break-in at Celestial Collectables where £62,000 in Pokémon cards were stolen and over £3,000 in damage was caused. Police tracked the brothers using CCTV, cloned license plates, and a Nissan X-Trail, eventually finding stolen property and tools at Keith's residence. Keith Johnson has been sentenced to 29 months in prison, while Shane Johnson is considered an accomplice and will be sentenced on July 31 after admitting to the same offenses. Cheshire Police noted the incident as part of a wider trend where the popularity of Pokémon TCG has led to theft and scalping, while The Pokémon Company continues to print billions of new cards.