In mid-September, approximately 300 trading cards were stolen from Enter The Battlefield gaming shop in Newmarket, Ontario. Security footage revealed an individual breaking and kicking the shop's front door, proceeding to the cash register, and then filling a bag with trading cards valued at around $150,000. "We arrived and noticed that the showcases for Magic: The Gathering and Pokémon singles were damaged, and our cards were missing," recalled Kris Fekete, the shop's owner, in an interview with CTV News. However, weeks later, Fekete received positive news: the thieves had been apprehended.
On October 1, two men entered OMG Games store in Barrie, offering a suspiciously large quantity of Magic cards for sale. "One of our employees immediately recognized that they matched the stolen cards," said Rick Bates, OMG Games owner. The store discreetly contacted both Fekete and York Regional Police without alerting the suspects. Bates and his staff managed to keep the suspects engaged for 30-40 minutes. "I discussed concerns about counterfeits," Bates explained. "[My colleague] engaged in casual conversation to keep them distracted." Upon the arrival of Barrie police officers, the two men from Georgina were arrested and charged with possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000. The recovered cards were valued between $30,000 and $40,000, accounting for roughly 25% of the originally stolen items.
Constable James Dickson from York Regional Police, reflecting on the cards, said, "Magic: The Gathering was a great way to pass through grade school. I played Pokémon for far too long." He added, "The store owner's ability to stall these individuals was very beneficial for both the York Regional Police and our victim, as well as for the Barrie Police to arrive." Police stated that there is no evidence to charge the suspects with the initial break-and-enter in September, emphasizing that the primary focus for investigators remains recovering the remaining stolen cards.
