{"id":67311,"date":"2026-05-27T18:51:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T09:51:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=67311"},"modified":"2026-05-27T18:53:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T09:53:33","slug":"two-japanese-men-arrested-over-alleged-213k-usd-pokemon-card-heist-targeting-delivery-vehicle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/two-japanese-men-arrested-over-alleged-213k-usd-pokemon-card-heist-targeting-delivery-vehicle\/","title":{"rendered":"Two Japanese men arrested over alleged $213k USD Pok\u00e9mon card heist targeting delivery vehicle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Two men have been arrested in Tokyo on suspicion of stealing approximately 34 million yen (about $213k USD)\u2019s worth of Pok\u00e9mon cards from a transport vehicle while the driver was away. This is one of the many incidents involving Pok\u00e9mon cards that have recently been occurring across the country, raising concerns that the high-value trading cards are possibly being used for money laundering and other illegal activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As reported by TBS newsdig<\/a> on May 25, the suspects, a 26 and a 27-year-old man, allegedly targeted a van transporting trading cards in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, in December of last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of them had reportedly been employed at the time by the subcontracted logistics company handling the shipment, and the two are believed to have gained access to operational details not available to the public. This could have helped them target the vehicle\u2019s route and timing as it moved between retail locations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Pikachu<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The theft is said to have occurred during a routine stop. When the driver left the vehicle to enter a store, the suspects unlocked the van and stole the packages containing roughly 300 Pok\u00e9mon cards. According to the authorities, both individuals have since admitted to the allegations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Authorities also believe the two sold part of the stolen cards and made around 5 million yen (roughly $34,000 USD) in profit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident is not new or isolated. Across Japan, there has been a noticeable uptick in Pok\u00e9mon card-related thefts, including smash-and-grab<\/a> attacks in Osaka and other specialty stores<\/a> in Southwest Japan. In some prior cases, suspects have reportedly been linked to so-called \u201cdark part-time job<\/a>\u201d schemes, where individuals are recruited online for theft operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\u00a0Pok\u00e9mon\u00a0Company is considering\u00a0authentication\u00a0via government-issued IDs\u00a0to battle TCG scalping in Japan<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Re-shrink-wrapped Pok\u00e9mon TCG boxes are now a thing in Japan<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A 26 and 27-year-old Japanese man in Tokyo were arrested on suspicion of stealing over 300 Pok\u00e9mon cards, worth approximately 34 million yen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":87,"featured_media":61004,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[17,70],"class_list":["post-67311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-japan-related-news","tag-pokemon-series"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nTwo Japanese men arrested over alleged $213k USD Pok\u00e9mon card heist targeting delivery vehicle - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A 26 and 27-year-old Japanese man in Tokyo were arrested on suspicion of stealing over 300 Pok\u00e9mon cards, worth approximately 34 million yen.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/two-japanese-men-arrested-over-alleged-213k-usd-pokemon-card-heist-targeting-delivery-vehicle\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Two Japanese men arrested over alleged $213k USD Pok\u00e9mon card heist targeting delivery vehicle - 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