sUPERCELL
Membership Model Master
2
MONTHS
2 2 MONTHS OF SERVICE
LEVEL 1
400 XP
Japanese crime syndicates have found an unusual way to launder money using valuable cards from the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The former head of the criminal organization told Shunkan Gendai Online that his group used Pokémon cards to transport stolen funds overseas.
Cards, despite their modest size, have a significant value. Some of them sell for millions of dollars, for example, the most expensive card went under the hammer for more than $5 million. Even ordinary cards in sealed sets can cost hundreds of dollars, making them an attractive tool for shady operations.
Criminals used known techniques to search for valuable cards, such as using metal detectors to identify foil cards or high-precision scales to identify packages with higher weights. This made it possible to buy large batches of sets, extract the most valuable cards, and sell the rest without loss.
Stolen Treasure and Theft:
Criminals' interest in Pokémon cards is not limited to money laundering. In Tokyo, a record number of collectible card thefts was recorded in 2022. In Minnesota in February 2022, about $250,000 worth of goods were stolen from an independent gaming store. In January 2024, thieves stole 35,000 Pokémon cards in California but were unable to find any truly valuable specimens, for which they were ridiculed by store owners.
Cards, despite their modest size, have a significant value. Some of them sell for millions of dollars, for example, the most expensive card went under the hammer for more than $5 million. Even ordinary cards in sealed sets can cost hundreds of dollars, making them an attractive tool for shady operations.
Criminals used known techniques to search for valuable cards, such as using metal detectors to identify foil cards or high-precision scales to identify packages with higher weights. This made it possible to buy large batches of sets, extract the most valuable cards, and sell the rest without loss.
Stolen Treasure and Theft:
Criminals' interest in Pokémon cards is not limited to money laundering. In Tokyo, a record number of collectible card thefts was recorded in 2022. In Minnesota in February 2022, about $250,000 worth of goods were stolen from an independent gaming store. In January 2024, thieves stole 35,000 Pokémon cards in California but were unable to find any truly valuable specimens, for which they were ridiculed by store owners.