The COVID-19 pandemic forever changed the way people buy and sell collectibles, and this extends to Pokémon cards. Certain big chain retailers like Target had to limit the amount of packs that they could sell to customers. What’s more, we now have digital collectible games like Pokémon TCG Pocket. Pokémon cards have become such a commodity that Japan’s news media has reported the mafia is using them to help launder money.
According to Shunkan Gendai online (via Automaton), criminals have been using the small portable size of Pokémon cards to easily hide, transport, and resell the cards to convert their profits into local currency.
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“Many criminals who commit bank transfer fraud are converting the money they steal into Pokémon cards. Shady money can’t be deposited in a bank, and there’s a high risk of it being stolen if you hold it in cash,” a former high-ranked crime family member explained. “Pokémon cards are easy to hide, and if you take them overseas and cash them there, you can’t get tracked down.”
Criminals have gotten more intelligent with respect to what to look for and feel for when attempting to get their hands on the more valuable cards. With the already low probability of acquiring rare Pokémon-ex cards, criminals are now using metal detectors to get a hit on the foil from the card. In addition, they are employing weighing devices to check if an unopened pack contains a rare foil card.
In 2022, YouTuber and WWE performer Logan Paul bought a graded Pikachu Illustrator card for $5.7 million, making it the most expensive card ever sold. The Pikachu Illustrator was only awarded to the winners of the Original Illustration Contest in Japan, with only 20-39 known copies ever released. Similarly graded cards are priced on eBay for $2-$4 million.