Three burglars stole up to 120,000 euros worth of Pokemon cards from a specialist shop overnight in Bourgoin-Jallieu, Isere, in southeastern France. The break-in occurred between the night of Wednesday, August 12, and the morning of Thursday, August 13.
The intruders breached the store at 4:13 a.m. and stole hundreds of playing cards despite the triggering of an anti-burglary security smoke system. Police officers arrived a few minutes after the thieves fled with stock valued between 70,000 and 120,000 euros.
The store owner watched the entire burglary live on his smartphone from his home, powerless to stop the raid. The manager told French commercial television network TF1 that the thieves took everything without knowing what they were taking, adding that one display case alone contained around 25,000 euros worth of cards. Traumatised by the crime, the manager announced he would hire a security guard day and night to safeguard his staff and remaining stock.
Rising wave of card store break-ins
The burglary in Bourgoin-Jallieu, a town in the Isere department within the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region, reflects a growing wave of thefts targeting trading card retailers across France. Specialized card shops are regularly targeted by criminals, with losses amounting to tens of thousands of euros in each instance.
Jules, who manages another Pokemon card store in France, suffered a similar break-in one year ago. Following that raid, he demonstrated to TF1 how he transformed his shop into a heavily fortified vault to prevent further attacks.
Outside the building, Jules installed large rock boulders to prevent ram-raiding attacks by vehicles. His exterior security setup also includes real-time cameras that track everyone entering or exiting the store, alongside a laser detection field designed to spot intruders before they gain entry.
Vault security and rising insurance costs
Inside the shop, security has been reinforced with door opening detection systems, metallic roller shutters, and surveillance cameras fitted throughout the building, including an infrared detection camera.
Protecting the shop inventory of 450,000 cards required an upfront investment of 70,000 euros, in addition to ongoing monthly fees of 500 euros for four separate remote surveillance subscriptions.
Jules told TF1 that card shops now face the same high-risk environment as jewellery stores due to the intense public and criminal interest in their stock. He explained that store owners are forced to protect themselves, noting that insurance companies now mandate these comprehensive security systems before agreeing to cover retail premises properly.
The Japanese Pokemon franchise, originally created as a video game and collectible trading card series, is no longer just a children's game. In 2024 alone, the global franchise generated more than 10 billion euros in worldwide revenue.
