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

Thieves keen to steal Pokémon cards have struck again in Southern California, turning over a Burbank store and taking more than $100,000 of stock.

The robbery is just the latest in a string of similar incidents across the region, KTLA5 reports, where three masked figures were seen raiding card shops and escaping within minutes.

LA Sports Cards’ Burbank shop was hit last week, on December 2, in a high-speed theft that was over in just three minutes. During that time, the thieves crowbarred open the outlet’s door and made multiple trips to a waiting vehicle, all while carrying armfuls of Pokémon merchandise.

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“[For the] vast majority, they were targeting Pokémon cards,” store owner Kiet Nguyen said. “They did take some locked boxes from the back that had sports cards… They were targeting liquid assets, Pokémon is so easy to sell these days that sealed product, everyone has it. So it wouldn’t raise any suspicion if someone was to sell it, it’s available everywhere.”

Alongside new Pokémon decks and collectible sets, the thieves also got away with a handful of rare sports items including a signed Ronaldo card. But it’s clear that Pokémon cards were the key draw — with suggestion that this gang has struck several times before.

“It seemed like they had it down pat,” Nguyen continued. “They knew what they were doing… We thought this was a very safe, secure, very busy street. We had preventive measures in place, we thought the deterrance was good enough.”

KTLA5 stated that the group were now suspected to be behind “half a dozen” similar store raids within Southern California in recent weeks — during which, one of the trio had his face partially caught on CCTV. Police have appealed for anyone with further information to contact the Burbank Police Department on 818-238-3000.

This recent spate of thefts is just the latest example of how Pokémon cards are now considered high-value goods by thieves. In December 2024, it was reported that Japanese crime syndicates were now using Pokémon cards to launder money. And in the US, this is just the latest incident similar to many others over the past 12 months. Until Pokémon’s popularity fades — and there’s no sign it’ll do that anytime soon, with a big new wave of games expected next year — it seems likely this will continue.

Tom Phillips is IGN’s News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social