Two brothers from Birmingham traded in the usual family business for a Pokémon TCG burglary spree that netted over £71,000 in stolen stock from small card shops across Cheshire and Warwickshire. Keith Johnson, 33, pleaded guilty to two counts of burglary with intent to steal and was already handed 29 months at Birmingham Crown Court on July 2. His brother Shane, 37, admitted the same offences and awaits sentencing on July 31.

The pair smashed their way into Celestial Collectables in Warrington on April 8, making off with £62,000 worth of cards plus over £3,000 in damage before their white Ford Transit van gave them up. They followed it up by hitting shops in Stockton Heath and The Graded Gallery in Rugby, where another £9,000-plus in damage and stock disappeared. Cheshire Police traced the van, searched the brothers' property, and recovered the goods—DC Hannah Smith noted the overwhelming evidence left them no choice but to plead guilty.

Police cheekily titled their statement "gotta catch 'em all!" while small shops bear the real cost of manufactured scarcity and opportunistic crime. One brother is already paying with nearly 2.5 years behind bars; the other will find out his price soon enough.