• Two males have been charged with stealing 1 / 4 million {dollars} value of Pokemon playing cards.
• In line with The Minnesota Star Tribune, they meant to pawn the playing cards off.
• The 2 males minimize a gap right into a gaming retailer from a neighboring retailer to entry the products.

Two Minnesota males have been hit with felony housebreaking fees for stealing 1000’s of packs of Pokemon playing cards by burrowing a gap into an area gaming retailer, in a valiant effort to catch ’em all.

The boys made off with greater than $250,000 value of Pokemon playing cards after raiding the Punch-Out Gaming retailer in Forest Lake, Minnesota, prosecutors alleged in a Might 2023 prison criticism, in accordance with The Minnesota Star Tribune.

In the course of the February 2022 housebreaking, one of many males broke into the enterprise subsequent door to the gaming store, chopped by drywall, and blacked out a safety digicam with tape earlier than going about his enterprise.

The Star Tribune reported that on February 9, 2022, prosecutors alleged that Dustin Anthony Wittern and Matthew James Cuypers Jr. stole not less than 2,824 sealed packs of the playing cards earlier than jetting off. They have been hit with felony third-degree housebreaking fees by Washington County, Minnesota, prosecutors.

Cuypers Jr. stole the playing cards whereas Wittern waited outdoors for him in a truck, the criticism acknowledged, per KSTP, the realm’s ABC affiliate. One of many males knew a potential purchaser for the playing cards that they deliberate to pawn the playing cards off too, per the Star Tribune.

In line with courtroom paperwork for a separate federal case involving promoting meth, Cuypers Jr. was arrested weeks after the 2022 housebreaking as authorities tracked him down for the illicit drug investigation.

In an interview for the meth case, Cuypers Jr. admitted to authorities that he partook within the Pokemon heist, per the Star Tribune. Police investigating the Pokemon card housebreaking stated {that a} knife that was used to chop the drywall from the shop subsequent door had DNA that matched Wittern’s and that additionally they collected the tape used on the shop’s safety digicam.

The shop’s proprietor, Eric Johnson, informed the Star Tribune that the price of the playing cards was $150,000 and their sale worth was $250,000. The playing cards haven’t been recovered.

An lawyer for Cuypers Jr. didn’t instantly return Insider’s request for remark.