Pokemon card thieves arrested after $40k heist thwarted by alert game store staff

Game store staff stalled Pokemon card thieves long enough for police to arrive, recovering $40k worth of cards.

A daring Pokemon card heist, which initially saw thieves make off with an estimated $150,000 worth of valuable trading cards, was foiled thanks to the quick-thinking actions of game store staff. The theft occurred on September 18, 2024, at the Enter The Battlefield gaming shop, where a suspect broke into the store by smashing the front door and proceeded to steal approximately 300 cards. Among the stolen items were rare Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon cards, highly sought after by collectors and enthusiasts alike. The store’s owner, Kris Fekete, discovered the theft the following morning, finding the showcases for rare card singles ravaged.

However, the case took a surprising turn on October 1, 2024, when two men entered OMG Games in Barrie, Ontario, attempting to trade in a large quantity of cards. Rick Bates, the owner of OMG Games, and his staff immediately grew suspicious, recognizing the cards as matching the description of those stolen from Enter The Battlefield. Without alerting the suspects, Bates discreetly contacted Fekete and York Regional Police, who instructed him to stall the men until officers could arrive.

For nearly 40 minutes, Bates and his staff engaged the suspects in small talk, discussing concerns about counterfeit cards and keeping them distracted. The effort paid off when Barrie police arrived on the scene and arrested the two men. Authorities were able to recover between $30,000 to $40,000 worth of the stolen cards, a significant portion of the original haul.

Both suspects, identified as Georgina residents, were charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. The case highlights the growing trend of high-value thefts in the trading card industry, with collectible cards, especially from popular franchises like Pokemon, fetching significant sums at auctions and online marketplaces. Fekete expressed relief that a portion of the stolen cards were recovered, but the incident also underscored the vulnerabilities small businesses face when dealing with highly valuable and easily transportable merchandise.

This heist is just one of many recent cases where thieves have targeted valuable Pokemon cards, with several similar incidents making headlines over the past few years. As the popularity of trading card games continues to rise, collectors and store owners are being urged to increase security measures to protect their valuable stock from such crimes.