Trading card shops hit hard as break-ins sweep GTA
Two Ajax businesses became the latest targets in a series of brazen robberies. One owner estimates losses at over $100,000.
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Two trading card game shops in Ajax became the latest victims in a spree of break-ins hitting Greater Toronto Area businesses, with losses potentially exceeding $100,000.
The first incident happened around 5:45 a.m. on June 14 at Mintink Trading Card Shop and Live Experience near Salem Road North and Taunton Road East. Manager Marc Belmonte said that a nearby resident heard the alarm and breaking glass and reported it to Durham Regional Police.
Surveillance video showed four masked individuals breaking through multiple layers of security, including the bottom of the front door and the front vestibule. During the forceful entry through the vestibule door, one person was inadvertently struck by a miniature sledgehammer. The group then smashed multiple slab walls and grabbed merchandise off shelves with their hands, throwing items into bags.
"It seemed organized but also unorganized at the same time. The one lead person seemed to have a phone in his hand, almost as if he was maybe speaking to somebody else," Belmonte said. The business has been hit multiple times before, and repeated losses are driving up insurance prices.
Around 15 minutes later, We Got Gamez on Kingston Road West near Church Street North was hit. Owner Kamal Lalli said a vehicle pulled up and multiple individuals forced their way through a front door that had a display case blocking it, then forced open a steel barrier behind an adjoining glass door.
Video surveillance shared by Lalli showed suspects grabbing various items from shelves. At one point, one thief could be heard pointing out Pokémon items. "They were very brazen. They looked at the cameras, they knew where the cameras kind of were, and didn't care," Lalli said. They were in the business for less than 10 minutes, all wearing hoodies, masks, and gloves.
Lalli had driven to Sault Ste. Marie days before to buy an extensive Pokémon collection ahead of a major Canada Day sale. Many of those items, some in a locked case, were taken. While still tallying the exact inventory, Lalli said losses could potentially exceed $100,000.