Police recover $40K in stolen trading cards thanks to quick-thinking store staff
Police continue to investigate a large quantity of trading cards that were stolen from a gaming shop in Newmarket last month, but the good news is that almost a quarter of them were recently recovered at another gaming shop in Barrie thanks to some clever tactics by its staff.
On September 18, around 300 trading cards were stolen from Kris Fekete's Enter The Battlefield gaming shop.
"We came in and saw that the showcases for the 'Magic: The Gathering' and 'Pokémon' singles were ravaged, and our cards were taken," recalled Fekete, owner of the Newmarket-based shop.
- Download the CTV News app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates sent to your email inbox
Security footage showed an individual smashing and kicking in the shop's front door and then heading behind the cash before loading trading cards valued at around $150,000 into a bag.
But weeks later, Fekete received better news.
"I got the message they've been arrested. It was a really good feeling," said Fekete.
On October 1, two men entered the OMG Games store in Barrie and offered to trade in a large amount of Magic cards.
"One of our employees noticed right away that it matched pretty well. Matched a lot of the cards that were missing," said Rick Bates, the owner of OMG Games.
The store carefully got the word out to Fekete and York Regional Police without the suspects knowing. Fekete eventually told Bates via text to stall them and that police were on their way.
Bates and his staff stalled the suspects for 30 to 40 minutes.
"I was talking about concerns about counterfeits," shared Bates. "[My colleague] was just doing small talk, keeping them distracted."
Finally, Barrie police officers arrived and arrested the two Georgina men, charging them with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000.
Returning the cards brought back the nostalgia for investigators.
"'Magic: The Gathering', fantastic way to get through grade school. Pokémon I played for far too long," recalled Constable James Dickson from York Regional Police. "The fact that the store owner was able to stall these people was very beneficial for both the York Regional Police, for our victim, as well as for the Barrie Police to get there."
The recovered cards were valued at around $30,000 to $40,000, roughly 25 per cent of what was initially stolen.
"Everyone here also got to celebrate for the first time in a couple of weeks, so it was really nice," added Fekete.
Police say there's no evidence to charge the two suspects with break-and-enter in relation to that initial September incident, adding that the top priority for investigators remains recovering the rest of the stolen property.
Police are also asking other gaming store owners to be on the lookout for anything offered to them at a value less than what it should be worth.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'You couldn't open the door': Concerns over awareness of and access to Tesla emergency latch after 4 killed in Toronto, 5 killed in Wisconsin
When a Tesla crashed on Lakeshore Boulevard in Toronto last month, the first people on scene knew there were occupants inside but couldn't immediately get them out.
Overwhelmed families surrendering custody of their children to CAS
Overwhelmed families in Ontario are having to surrender their children to the Children's Aid Society, and according to the society, the residential crisis is part of the problem.
Trump's defence choice stuns the Pentagon and raises questions about the Fox News host's experience
President-elect Donald Trump stunned the Pentagon and the broader defence world by nominating Fox News host Pete Hegseth to serve as his defence secretary, tapping someone largely inexperienced and untested on the global stage to take over the world's largest and most powerful military.
W5 investigation How did thieves steal your car? Maybe with a device they ordered online
Digital devices that a Toronto-area police department warns are used in the most common method of stealing cars are for sale online for anyone to buy, a W5 investigation has found.
Trump's appointees have criticized Trudeau, warned of border issues with Canada
Donald Trump's second administration is filling up with some of his most loyal supporters and many of the people landing top jobs have been critical of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and security at Canada's border.
How are you preparing for a possible Canada Post strike? We want to hear from you
CTVNews.ca wants to speak to Canadians of all backgrounds, whether you're a parent, student, worker, professional or business owner, about their concerns regarding a possible Canada Post strike or lockout.
Japanese owner of 7-Eleven receives another offer to rival Couche-Tard bid
The Japanese owner of 7-Eleven says it has received a new management buyout proposal from a member of the family that helped found the company.
Loblaw Companies reports Q3 profit up from year ago, revenue also higher
Loblaw Companies Ltd. reported its third-quarter profit rose compared with a year ago, boosted by the reversal of a charge at its President's Choice Bank after a Federal Court of Appeal decision.
Injured hiker from southern Ont. rescued from Killarney Provincial Park by helicopter
An experienced winter hiker and their dog were rescued over the weekend by helicopter in northeastern Ontario after being reported missing from Killarney Provincial Park, police say.