Pokémon Thieves Steal Cards Worth $100,000 in Latest Californian Store Heist

Thieves keen to bargain Pokémon cards person struck again successful Southern California, turning implicit a Burbank store and taking much than $100,000 of stock.

The robbery is conscionable the latest successful a drawstring of akin incidents crossed the region, KTLA5 reports, wherever 3 masked figures were seen raiding paper shops and escaping wrong minutes.

LA Sports Cards' Burbank store was deed past week, connected December 2, successful a high-speed theft that was implicit successful conscionable 3 minutes. During that time, the thieves crowbarred unfastened the outlet's doorway and made aggregate trips to a waiting vehicle, each portion carrying armfuls of Pokémon merchandise.

"[For the] immense majority, they were targeting Pokémon cards," store proprietor Kiet Nguyen said. "They did instrumentality immoderate locked boxes from the backmost that had sports cards... They were targeting liquid assets, Pokémon is truthful casual to merchantability these days that sealed product, everyone has it. So it wouldn't rise immoderate suspicion if idiosyncratic was to merchantability it, it's disposable everywhere."

Alongside caller Pokémon decks and collectible sets, the thieves besides got distant with a fistful of uncommon sports items including a signed Ronaldo card. But it's wide that Pokémon cards were the cardinal gully — with proposition that this pack has struck respective times before.

"It seemed similar they had it down pat," Nguyen continued. "They knew what they were doing... We thought this was a precise safe, secure, precise engaged street. We had preventive measures successful place, we thought the deterrance was bully enough."

KTLA5 stated that the radical were present suspected to beryllium down "half a dozen" akin store raids wrong Southern California successful caller weeks — during which, 1 of the trio had his look partially caught connected CCTV. Police person appealed for anyone with further accusation to interaction the Burbank Police Department connected 818-238-3000.

This caller spate of thefts is conscionable the latest illustration of however Pokémon cards are present considered high-value goods by thieves. In December 2024, it was reported that Japanese transgression syndicates were present utilizing Pokémon cards to launder money. And successful the US, this is conscionable the latest incidental akin to galore others implicit the past 12 months. Until Pokémon's popularity fades — and there's nary motion it'll bash that anytime soon, with a large caller question of games expected adjacent twelvemonth — it seems apt this volition continue.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social