Four suspects reportedly stole Pokémon cards worth $180K from an Anaheim trading card store last week. The Anaheim Police Department stated that the robbery occurred on the morning of February 18 at Do-We Collectibles. According to the police, the burglars broke into a neighboring business and dug a tunnel through the shared wall to access the trading card shop and commit the crime.
Pokémon cards worth $180K vanish amid trading card store heist
According to the Anaheim Police Department, four thieves reportedly stole Pokémon cards worth $180K from an Anaheim trading card shop. The burglars first broke into the business next door to Do-We Collectibles on Harbor Boulevard.
The security alarm woke the owner, Duy Pham, at home around 3 a.m. Pham revealed to the police that the masked men used sledgehammers to smash display cases and steal valuable items. Unfortunately, the burglars had already escaped before Pham could reach them (via Los Angeles Times).
A heartbroken Pham confessed that this is the second time since last June that his shop has been burglarized. The shop owner had beefed up security by installing additional cameras, alarms, and vaults.
Unfortunately, this is the latest theft in a wave of Pokémon card thefts that has taken over Southern California. According to authorities, losses across the region have topped $500,000 in just two months.
Pham admitted, “The card-collecting world is not the same anymore because of the attention that it got from big folks who put their money into the hobby and see it as a big investment.”
Pham revealed his plans to tighten security around his shop once again and is fully aware that this alone won’t help secure shops. Stores across Southern California have started self-organizing in response. This includes alerting one another in case of burglaries and helping each other.
He said, “Make sure you look out for the people you work with because these guys are watching. Make sure you are never alone, always have someone with you.”
Finally, Pham revealed to CBS News, “We got a big target on our back in this trading card, collectible world now. We took many losses in the past, and I kind of got used to it already. All we can do is embrace it and then move forward.”
