Gotta catch 'em all! Moment brothers steal £62,000 of Pokémon cards from shop before they themselves were caught by detectives

Published: 12:00, 8 July 2026 | Updated: 12:43, 8 July 2026 Two brothers were caught on CCTV brazenly stealing more than £62,000 worth of Pokémon cards from a gaming shop.  Shane Johnson, 37, paired up with his younger brother Keith Johnson, 33, to carry out the burglary on Celestial Collectables in Warrington, Cheshire, on April 8.  The latest theft comes amid a spree of targeted burglaries on Pokémon cards, which have been described as 'more valuable than gold' as the Japanese movie franchise marks its 30th anniversary.  The brothers, clad in face masks and tracksuits, used a crowbar to break into the gaming shop.  Once inside, the pair made straight for the till area, shattering glass display cabinets before putting expensive items including trading cards, slabs, packs and booster boxes into a huge carrier bag.  The duo then left the store swiftly - but not before dragging furniture around, destroying the shop door, wall cabinets and the counter, and leaving glass strewn across the floor.  The raid, which lasted over four minutes, left the store 'destroyed', co-owner Chris Grundy said.  Mr Grundy, 30, said: 'The break-in left me devastated. A lot of work has gone into the shop, and for someone to destroy it was heartbreaking really. The brothers, dressed in face masks and tracksuits, made straight for the till and display cabinets  The shop was left 'destroyed', with smashed glass strewn across the floor and the door broken Keith Johnson (pictured) was sentenced to 29 months' imprisonment. His older brother, Shane Johnson, will be sentenced on July 31 'It took us a while to get back on our feet afterwards. But hopefully the court result will be a deterrent to anyone else who is thinking about doing the same.'  The store specialises in rare and high-value Pokémon cards along with other limited edition collectible trading card memorabilia.  Cheshire Police said they were alerted to the break-in after receiving reports that the shop door window was being smashed in and the shop was being ransacked.  The items stolen were mainly Pokémon cards, which totalled in value around £62,000. The damage caused to the shop was in excess of £3,000.  CCTV showed the brothers had used a white Ford Transit van for the burglary, which was on cloned number plates. Detectives discovered the van had travelled from Birmingham to Warrington on the day of the crime, and had previously been captured parked up outside younger brother Keith's address.  The vehicle was later found containing a number of Pokémon cards, a box with the shop's logo on it, along with tools and items used in burglaries.  CCTV enquiries also showed that the getaway van had broken down, forcing the brothers to push the vehicle to another waiting van, which had travelled up from Birmingham.  Pictured: the store after the raid. Around £62,000 of goods were stolen from the local shop  The door was heavily damaged during the four-minute raid  Owner of Celestial Collectables, Chris Grundy (pictured), called the theft 'heartbreaking' Pokémon cards, above, have soared in value, attracting the attentions of criminal gangs They transferred their haul into the other van, which was later found parked up near Shane's address.  The brothers then struck at The Graded Gallery in Rugby, Warwickshire, on April 14, where they again used a crowbar to break in and cause significant damage to the interior as they stole various items - including more Pokémon cards.  The total stock stolen and damage caused was more than £9,000, and this time the pair fled in a Nissan X-Trail.  The Nissan X-Trail involved in the burglary was later parked outside Keith's property where the two men were later arrested.  A search recovered the keys to the van used in the Warrington burglary along with stolen property belonging to Celestial Collectables.  The keys to the Nissan X-Trail and more stolen property from other commercial burglaries were also found. Both brothers went on to plead guilty to two counts of burglary with intent to steal. Keith Johnson, from Yardley Wood, Birmingham, appeared at Birmingham Crown Court on July 2, where he was sentenced to 29 months' imprisonment. Shane Johnson, of no fixed address, will be sentenced at the same court on July 31. Detective Constable Hannah Smith, from Cheshire Police, said after the case: 'The overwhelming evidence collected through our extensive enquiries put them at both crime scenes, giving them no choice but to plead guilty. 'The brothers will now have to pay the price for their part in their criminal Pokémon enterprise.' The burglary follows a spate of high-profile targeted thefts on Pokémon goods, as the market value of the franchise loved by millennials rockets in its anniversary year.  In March, raiders stole £30,000 worth of the valuable cards from a store in Bournemouth in a nighttime raid.  At the start of the year, it was reported that a man from Surrey had £300,000 of Pokémon cards taken from his home, while a Cambridgeshire business lost £100,000 of stock.  Social media influencer Logan Paul sold a rare Pokémon card for a world record £12.4million ($16.5m) in February.  Pokémon – featuring over 1,000 species of pocket monsters including its most famous face, Pikachu – marked its 30th anniversary on February 27. The characters appeared in video games, films and TV series, as well as the popular trading card game. Experts believe the cards have become so valuable due to collectors keeping them in good condition and a 'nostalgia economy', fuelled by wealthy collectors.