Pokemon cards are as hot as they’ve ever been, and unfortunately for a local card shop in California, it means their merchandise was the target of a recent heist. On December 2, thieves targeted LA Sports Cards in Burbank and made off with $100,000 or more in Pokemon cards and other collectibles. The trio of thieves were captured on camera in KTLA 5’s video report below.
Store owner Kiet Nguyen noted that the thieves seemed to know just where to go to get the most valuable Pokemon cards in the store. “Liquid assets” of unopened Pokemon boxes were also taken, and will be easy to sell because of how common they are. Additionally, the thieves stole rare sports cards that featured Mickey Mantle and Ronaldo among others.
The thieves were in and out of the store in around three minutes, and the report notes that this trio may have hit other card shops in Southern California. One of the thieves exposed part of his face during an earlier heist, and that could help police eventually track him and his partners down.
KTLA notes that Nguyen indicated that the store does have insurance, and it will be upgrading its security. It’s not the first time that Pokemon cards have been linked to crime. In late 2024, reports emerged that the Japanese mob was using Pokemon cards to launder money.
Law-abiding Pokemon fans are keeping an eye on the next Switch 2 game, Pokemon Pokopia, which will be released on March 5, 2026. Veteran players already have theories about how that game may tie in with older Pokemon titles.