Four masked thieves steal €80,000 in Pokémon cards from French collectibles store

The burglary

Four masked men forced open the entrance door of the Smogtrade store in Bourgoin-Jallieu, a commune in the Isère department of central-eastern France, around 4:00 AM (2:00 GMT) on the night of Wednesday 12 August to Thursday 13 August 2026. The store specializes in collectible trading cards, primarily from the Pokémon franchise, the Japanese animated series about the adventures of small monsters. Before fleeing the scene in a car due to the alarm triggering, the thieves had enough time to seize "several hundred" cards, "almost all" belonging to the Pokémon franchise. The store's manager, who wished to remain anonymous, detailed the circumstances to AFP and estimated the total damage at nearly €80,000. Local police confirmed the time of the break-in and the method of entry to the news agency. The four men, all wearing balaclavas, entered the premises after forcing the front door, according to the account provided by the manager.

Store owner's reaction

The manager of Smogtrade described the climate of fear surrounding Pokémon card retailers, telling AFP that specialized shops have become recurring targets for violent thefts across France. She lamented that despite implementing maximum security measures, the efforts remain insufficient to protect the store and its inventory. The burglary at Smogtrade follows similar incidents at specialized card retailers in France and the United Kingdom, where thieves have repeatedly targeted high-value collections of Pokémon cards in recent years.

Pokémon shop owners are targets, and it can be very violent. We do everything we can for security, but it is not enough.

A pattern of thefts

Pokémon cards have become increasingly coveted by collectors in recent years, with some trading at exorbitant prices, making them frequent targets for theft in France and abroad, according to Le Figaro. In February 2024, a court in Rennes sentenced three men to prison for armed robbery and receiving stolen goods, including tens of thousands of Pokémon cards valued at approximately €100,000. More recently, in January, around $100,000 (approximately €87,000) in Pokémon cards were stolen during a robbery of a specialized store in the United Kingdom. The following month, a rare Pikachu card, the famous yellow character of the franchise, was sold at auction for a record $16.5 million (€14.3 million). The incidents are among several recent thefts targeting high-value Pokémon cards at specialized retailers in France and the United Kingdom.

A franchise worth billions

The Pokémon franchise, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this year, generated $12 billion in licensing revenue in 2024, according to the trade publication License Global, a sum greater than that of toy industry giant Mattel. The cards, inspired by the Japanese animated series about the adventures of small monsters, have become highly prized by collectors in recent years, with some trading at exorbitant prices and rare editions like the record-setting Pikachu card reaching €14.3 million at auction. The growing secondary market for these collectibles coincides with a series of targeted thefts at specialized retailers in France and the United Kingdom.