'Like the jewelry business now': 2 Ajax stores targeted for high

'Like the jewelry business now': 2 Ajax stores targeted for high-value trading cards, police say

Police searching for 5 suspects after thefts last month

Durham police looking for 5 suspects related to trading card shops theft

Two Ajax business owners are on high alert after thieves last month targeted their stores for high-value trading cards and made off with thousands of dollars worth of merchandise.

Durham Regional Police are now on the hunt for five suspects in the break-ins, and have released photos of the suspects in the hope of identifying them.

Five people broke into Mintink Trading Cards and Live Experience on Salem Road N. at about 5:40 a.m. on June 15. Police say they stole high-value collectible trading cards and other merchandise before they fled in a white Honda Civic.

A short time later, police say the same five people broke into We Got Gamez, a video game store on Kingston Road W., and stole more merchandise, police said. In that incident, a second Honda Civic was also seen and both cars fled from police.

'Instant cash liquidity,' store owner says

For John Amendola, founder and CEO of Mintink Trading Cards and Live Experience, the robbery was not his first.

He said Wednesday that has had numerous break-ins, attempted break-ins, mail fraud and an armed robbery over the years at his store locations. He estimates that more than $100,000 worth of product was stolen in the latest robbery.

"It sucks. Actually, the worst part of it is really for the staff members and the customers. For me, as the operator, you get desensitized to it," Amendola said.

After this latest robbery, he said he has increased security measures at his Ajax and Vaughan locations and installed new shutter systems and double doors in their vestibules.

He said it's what he has to do as the value of trading cards have skyrocketed in the last decade.

"You can walk in my store with a Charizard (Pokémon card) and walk out with a mortgage payment, in some cases a Ferrari," he said. "Criminals understand that they are taking something that has instant cash liquidity. The trading card world is like the jewelry business now."

For Kamal Lalli, owner of We Got Gamez, the break-in marked the first time he experienced a robbery in two decades of business.

Lalli said he was walking into a trade show at the Mississauga Convention Centre at about 9:45 a.m. on June 14 when he received a call.

"I thought it was my daughter calling me from England because it happened to be her birthday. To my dismay, it was Durham police," he said.

"I was panicked. I was shocked. It was a surreal feeling. All I could think about was racing back to the store and seeing what the enormity of the break-in would look like."

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Lalli's security camera footage shows thieves walking boxes of trading cards out the door at about 6 a.m. that Sunday morning, eventually loading them into one of two white Honda Civics used in the break-ins.

'You took from my children,' store owner says

Lalli said he feels violated by the robbery. The stolen items include a collection he picked up from a Northern Ontario collector days earlier. He estimates between $100,000 and $150,000 worth of product were stolen.

But he said he is thankful for community support in the weeks since the robbery and that has helped him to bounce back. He said he is also grateful that no one was injured.

He's not holding out hope that the product will be returned but he wants to see the suspects brought to justice. He's also beefed up security measures but said he doesn't want to turn the store into "Alcatraz."

Lalli said he has a message for the thieves: "I don't feel that you stole from me. You took from my children, you took years of university payments, you took a year of dance fees, or volleyball fees, or maybe a vacation."

Anyone with footage or any information about the break-ins is being urged to contact Durham police. Images of the suspects and one suspect vehicle can be viewed here.

With files from Christian D’Avino