Two brothers from the UK have admitted to stealing £71,000 (nearly $95,000) worth of stock from shops that sell collectable Pokemon cards.
It is no secret that cards and other collectables can fetch incredible prices. Some have funded their weddings after selling them, while Logan Paul was able to sell his Pikachu Illustrator card for $14 million.
Now, two brothers from the UK have tried to capitalize on the market by burglarizing shops that sell them. Keith Johnson, 33, and his brother Shane, 37, from Birmingham, UK were arrested and sentenced for a string of burglaries related to these collectables.
The thieves’ van broke down mid-getaway
On April 8, 2026, the brothers broke into Celestial Collectables in Warrington by smashing the front door with a crowbar. Police were alerted to the break-in following reports of the shop door being smashed.
On arrival, officers found Pokemon cards strewn across the floor, along with the crowbar. Items stolen were mainly Pokemon cards, with a value nearing £62,000 and damage caused to the shop itself in excess of £3,000.
CCTV identified a white Ford Transit van that investigators found had travelled from Birmingham that day, and linked it to Keith Johnson’s address. The van broke down during the getaway, so the brothers pushed it to another location where they loaded the goods into a second van and got away.
The brothers struck again at The Graded Gallery in Rugby, using the same method to break in and steal cards. The total stock stolen and damage caused was more than £9,000 (around $12,000). They escaped in a Nissan X-Trail, which was also linked to Keith Johnson’s address.
Police attended the address to arrest the two men and a search of the property returned the keys to the Ford Transit, the keys to the Nissan X-Trail, and stolen property from multiple burglaries.
Keith Johnson pled guilty to two counts of burglary with intent to steal and was sentenced to 29 months in prison, while Shane Johnson admitted the same offences and will be sentenced on July 31.
For more on Pokemon cards, check out our coverage of Logan Paul’s $14 million Pikachu sale, or the man who funded his wedding using his childhood cards.
