Trio suspected in theft of 150,000 ‘One Piece' and ‘Pokemon' cards
The three suspects are Ryo Nakano, 49, Yuki Yamazaki, 36, and 41-year-old Yuta Yoshihara.
At around 3 a.m. on September 23, Nakano and one of the other suspects allegedly broke into a card store in Chiyoda Ward and stole 1.55 million yen in cash and 284 trading cards, with a total value of 34.08 million yen.
Simultaneously, the third suspect allegedly broke into the office of the store's operating company in Bunkyo Ward and stole 1,778 trading cards, valued at 36.53 million yen.
Upon their arrests, all three suspects denied the allegations. Nakano stated, 'I have no recollection of this.' Pokemon cards fetch more than 200,000 yen (X) Sakazuki card valued at 3.85 million yen All told, the trio is believed to have stolen about 150,000 cards, including those from popular manga such as 'One Piece' and 'Pokemon.' Of the cards stolen, the most expensive was a rare card of the character Sakazuki from 'One Piece,' which is valued at about 3.85 million yen.
Police said that they found the lock for the trading card shop had been broken upon their arrival. As well, the glass of the entrance door had been smashed through.
Some of the stolen cards were sold at another shop after the incident, police said.
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