Two men arrested in Calgary hobby shop break-ins, $85K trading card thefts: police
Posted May 26, 2026 11:07 am.
Last Updated May 26, 2026 5:40 pm.
Two men have been arrested after a months-long investigation involving Calgary hobby shop break-ins in the southeast and trading card thefts of over $85,000 in 2025, police say.
Calgary police say they spent several months investigating the incidents and their respective CCTV footage to inform their arrests, with the first happening on July 14, 2025.
Officers say two people broke into Celly Sports Games at 5330 72 Avenue and took over $5,000 in trading cards, causing around $2,000 of damage.
Then, just a few weeks later, on Aug. 5, three people attempted to break into Olympic Sports and Games at 180 94 Avenue using tools to saw open the door. However, they couldn’t get in, only causing “significant damage” instead.
Investigators then note three people broke into Eastridge Sports and Games on 7132 Fisher Street at 2:36 a.m. and snagged trading cards worth around $72,000.
Finally, the last case reported happened on Sept. 7, when three people stole around $10,600 worth of trading cards from the First Player Card Shop on 1212 34 Avenue, which they accessed by breaking into a strip mall warehouse.
Power tools and pry bars were used in nearly all cases, and the suspects reportedly used stolen vehicles to get to and from each store, later ditching them after each incident, according to police.
Officers say they were able to retrieve many of the stolen cards and locate the stolen vehicles used in the crimes once they tracked down the suspects.
As a result, 48-year-old Alston Van Wezel faces eight charges, including mischief to property under $5,000, disguise with intent, breaking and entering, and possession of stolen property.
The second suspect, 63-year-old Brent Norris, faces a charge each of mischief to property under $5,000 and disguise with intent.
It’s not clear if a third suspect is being sought.
Police ask anyone with information about this incident to call them at 403-266-1234 or leave a tip anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
