Two brothers from Birmingham emptied two English Pokémon card shops in April 2026 and are going to prison for it. Keith Johnson, 33, was sentenced to 29 months at Birmingham Crown Court on 2 July; his brother Shane had also admitted the burglaries, the Chester Standard reports.
On the night of 8 April the two used a crowbar to break into Celestial Collectables on Lovely Lane in Warrington, a shop for rare cards. They took stock worth about £62,000 and caused another £3,000 of damage. Their white van, fitted with false plates, broke down during the getaway, and they moved the cards into a second van on East Avenue in Stockton Heath, Yahoo News describes. CCTV and number-plate cameras led police to Keith Johnson's home, where they found stolen stock, clothing and tools.
A few days later The Graded Gallery in Rugby was hit, with cards worth more than £9,000 taken; for this burglary the brothers used a Nissan X-Trail. Together the haul came to about £71,000 in cards, Dexerto writes.
Update: Shane Johnson was sentenced to 45 months and four weeks on 13 August 2026, ITV reports.