Massive Raid on Pokemon Store Uncovers $1.3 Million of Narcotics

Brings a new meaning to gotta' catch 'em all, Pokemon fans.

By Megan Peters

Pokemon is big business for all kinds of industries. From film to television and gaming, the IP has covered all the basis. Now, a new report from China has fans doing a double take as Pokemon just sparked a big drug bust. According to the South China Morning Post, a Pokemon shop in Hong Kong was raided recently, and it uncovered over a million dollars in narcotics.

The report confirms that the Hong Kong raid happened on August 19, and it went down at a Pokemon hobby shop. The locale, which focused on Pokemon trading cards and goods, came under fire after police encountered a 28-year-old man leaving a warehouse nearby. The man had five kilos of meth on his person, and after detaining the suspect, police were pushed to raid the Pokemon store.

It was there a hidden storage facility as discovered, and more than $1.3 million USD of commercial meth was found. By the time the raid was done, 16 kilograms of meth was found. According to police, the drugs confiscated were not being peddled to or by Pokemon fans who frequented the shop. Current investigations suggest the Pokemon shop was a simple front, and drug trafficking was kept behind closed doors.

"Storing such a large quantity of narcotics in a place where teenagers and children can visit is irresponsible and disgraceful behavior that also heightens the possible risk of teenagers and children mistakenly encountering illegal drugs," Liong Chun-Hin, the Hong Kong Narcotics Bureau Inspector, shared with the public in light of this recent arrest.

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Currently, the investigation into this drug bust is ongoing, but Hong Kong authorities are confident the operation was part of a larger trafficking ring in the area. Pokemon fans shouldn't be afraid to carry on collecting and attending tournaments because of this isolated front. But honestly, headlines like this one bring a whole new meaning to gotta' catch 'em all.

What do you make of this latest Pokemon update? Let us know what you think over on Twitter and Instagram. You can also hit me up @MeganPetersCB to share your take!

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