Summary
- Pokemon TCG shop in Hong Kong uncovered $1.3 million worth of methamphetamine, shocking fans worldwide.
- Pokemon GO players have been busted for drugs, and franchise used as front for illegal activity around the world.
Police in Hong Kong have uncovered a serious crime relating to Pokemon TCG, discovering a massive stash of methamphetamine worth approximately $1.3 million USD in a warehouse pretending to be a normal Pokemon TCG store. The huge drug bust, which could likely be one of the largest dollar amounts of any crime related to Pokemon, is shocking fans of the franchise around the world.
Pokemon is an extremely popular franchise, and an extremely profitable one. Despite the franchise's family-friendly and innocent appeal, demonstrable through things such as Pokemon GO's upcoming September 2024 Community Day, Pokemon unfortunately seems to attract plenty of crime. While some criminal acts may be considered more severe than others, this particular crime is being labeled by the law enforcement involved as "irresponsible and disgraceful."
First reported by the South China Morning Post, the Pokemon TCG shop raid took place on August 19, 2024. Following the investigation of a 28-year-old man found in front of the store holding 5 kilograms - roughly 2.2 pounds - of methamphetamine, the police raid uncovered a total of 16 kilograms of the narcotic in an area of the shop exclusively for staff members. Hong Kong police estimate the supply to be worth $10 million HKD, equivalent to around $1.3 million USD. Although Pokemon TCG tournaments and underage customers were apparently frequent there, the drugs weren't sold or trafficked by said clientele.
Despite there being no evidence of children involved, Hong Kong Narcotics Bureau Inspector Liong Chun-Hin found the operation to be quite unscrupulous, stating that the behavior "also heightens the possible risk of teenagers and children mistakenly encountering illegal drugs." Unfortunately, this is far from the first case of criminals attempting to conduct their illegal business while using the Pokemon franchise as a front. Last summer, cops from New Bedford, Massachusetts shut down a drug trafficking operation using Pokemon boxes to ship large amounts of cocaine.
Pokemon GO (to Jail)
Despite being one of the most casual of Pokemon titles, Pokemon GO appears to be the most correlated with crime, at least in recent years. A few years ago a Pokemon GO player was busted for drugs because he was playing the mobile game at a park at 2am. The Florida man was openly using marijuana at the closed park, which led to police searching in his vehicle and finding 3.5 grams of cocaine, 5.5 pounds of THC oil, and a pound of marijuana.
In addition to people using Pokemon as a front for crime, one crime was allowed to be committed because of Pokemon. Dashcam footage revealed last year shows police ignoring a robbery to play Pokemon GO, while also breaking multiple traffic laws in the process. With the Pokemon franchise only seeming to grow in popularity, fans should be vigilant in looking out for any sketchy dealings.
- Franchise
- Pokemon
- Original Release Date
- October 20, 1996
Pokemon TCG (Trading Card Game) is a collectible and strategy based card game based on Nintendo's Pokemon franchise. Two players face off against one another, battling one Pokemon at a time and attempting to knock them out to claim one of six prize cards. The cards have also become highly collectible with some in particular selling for thousands of dollars.
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