Craig Cunningham, a Prince William County police detective, learned soon after meeting Pogue just how valuable the cards could be. (One rare card recently sold for $15,000.)
“I don’t think the bad guys ever realized how much value they were working with,” Cunningham told The Washington Post. “We’re talking about cards that are expensive and rare. You can’t just get rid of it at a pawn shop because that’s too dangerous.”
Pogue contacted local shops after the theft, and his diligence paid off, as one of the shop’s owners recognized the collection when the thieves arrived to pawn their score. The owner directed the thieves to another store where he told them they would be able to sell the cards. When the two thieves arrived, another employee bought some time by asking them to return later in the evening, as he wasn’t yet ready for such a large transaction.
Later that evening, two plainclothes Fairfax County police officers waited inside the store while more officers waited in the parking lot. When the thieves again returned, dogs began barking and police officers shouted for the men to get on the ground. More officers streamed into the game shop with guns drawn.
“From what I understand, they had at least 10 guys out there plus a canine unit,” Cunningham said. “They were well-prepared to take these guys down and it went very smooth.”
In the end, one of the men was charged with felony possession of stolen property with intent to sell and the other released. There was no high-technology involved in the operation, but sometimes, good old fashioned human networking is all it takes to get the job done.
