A rare Pokémon card worth £30,000 was tracked down by detectives after it was stolen from a card grading company.
The Charizard card had been sent to a company in Heathfield which grades cards to verify how much they’re worth by its owner, who lives in Essex.
But after it failed to arrive back in Essex, the company called in police. The theft is believed to have taken place between 2 and 5 September in Heathfield.
It was then discovered that the same card was seen being sold on Facebook.
Following a swift investigation by Sussex Police, a 23-year-old man from Polegate was identified as a suspect and arrested at his address on 27 October, on suspicion of theft.
A search order was authorised on his property and officers found the rare card inside.
After a voluntary interview, the suspect admitted to stealing the card and showed remorse for his actions.
The rare card, valued between £20,000 and £30,000, was returned to its owner.
The suspect was interviewed and admitted to stealing the card and received a caution.
Police Constable Alan Russell, the officer who handled the initial investigation, said: “We identified a line of enquiry quickly and were to able act quickly.
“It was a valuable item which meant a lot to the victim who had it stolen.
“The victim is happy that his card was returned and our teams worked really well together to solve this case.”
