Pokemon Thieves Make Off With $100,000 In Rare Cards

"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."

A Burbank shop, LA Sports Cards, suffered a theft on December 2 that removed $100,000 or more in Pokemon cards and collectibles. Thieves targeted high-value items and unopened Pokemon boxes described as "liquid assets," plus rare sports cards featuring Mickey Mantle and Ronaldo. The trio completed the theft in roughly three minutes and were captured on camera. Investigators believe the same group may have hit other Southern California card shops, and one thief briefly exposed part of his face in an earlier incident. The store has insurance and plans to upgrade security. Reports previously linked Pokemon cards to money laundering.

Read at GameSpot