This case goes to show that collectible Pokémon cards are highly valuable on the streets. One man in the UK has been arrested and sentenced after he was caught accepting Pokémon cards as a way to pay for illegal substances. Unfortunately for him, officers seized his stash along with his precious card collection, which police say will not be given back to him.
Police says man’s “rare card collection” will not be returned
On May 1 at around 5:54 a.m., officers detained 26-year-old Jack Young-Larter from Maidstone and carried out a search of his home address that uncovered a stash of drugs, according to a press release from Kent Police.
Officers carried out the search warrant while investigating the supply of cocaine and cannabis in the town. They seized two mobile phones, about 110 grams of cannabis and more than 25 grams of cocaine. They also found scales and empty deal bags, along with £2,000 in cash and a box of collectible cards with “high monetary value.”
Upon reviewing the phones, investigators found messages where Young-Larter asked for payments from customers in the form of cash, bank transfers, and Pokémon trading cards. A series of texts on the phone reads, “Instead of paying me the 40£ you owe me, can you or can you get someone you know to rob be box of tins of Pokemon cards, (sealed packs) / And I will take off your debt / & also if you get loads / I’ll pay good for them.”
Officers discovered videos of the man “stashing packets of drugs for customers to collect” on the phone as well.
Sadly for Young-Larter, the collected evidence are “now subject to a Deprivation Order, ensuring the items will not be returned.”
According to police, Young-Larter was sentenced to 3 years and 4 months and was ordered to give up his trading card collection.
One of the investigating officers, Detective Constable Emily Hill, said, “Trading Pokémon cards is a fun activity for all ages, but substances are dangerous; they destroy communities, and — in the worst cases — leave friends and families bereft.”
