https://preview.redd.it/spujgk39us8e1.png?width=810&format=png&auto=webp&s=cd1c71b6a65f15f4473cd337432bd33f7180670b

Japan’s criminal syndicates have found a wildly creative way to clean dirty money – collectible Pokémon cards.

Why Pokémon?

• Compact 👜
• Fly under the radar at customs ✈️
• Worth astronomical amounts 💰

Case in point: A rare card recently sold in the U.S. for $5.27 million.

The Scheme:

• The mafia buys rare cards with dirty cash.
• Smuggles them abroad.
• Flips them to collectors for clean money.

Some cards are so valuable that criminals X-ray sealed packs to find the rarest gems.

What seems like child’s play is now an asset of the new era, where a Pikachu card outshines a suitcase of cash.

Who knew that Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Slowpoke would end up working for the Yakuza?

Source: https://automaton-media.com/en/nongaming-news/pokemon-cards-are-so-valuable-that-criminals-are-using-them-to-launder-dirty-money-japanese-media-reports/