A Maidstone cocaine dealer did not want cash only; he wanted Pokemon cards, and Kent Police just collected the debt.
In a hobby where booster tins can outprice rent, the Maidstone case did not appear from nowhere. In August, The Pokemon Company moved against early 30th anniversary sales over stolen property concerns, so Jack Young-Larter wasn’t some small fry with a binder and a dream.
He ran a cash, transfer and card economy across vulnerable environs, and when officers came knocking, the case was already primed to detonate.
Kent officers are “on a mission to catch them all”
On May 1, Kent Police raided Young-Larter’s London Road home and flung open a smorgasbord of evidence: two phones, nearly 110g of cannabis, more than 25g of cocaine, scales, empty deal bags, about £2,000 in cash, and a box of rare collectibles police considered high value.
Better still for prosecutors, the devices blabbed the good stuff, showing messages about supplying cocaine and cannabis, videos of packets stashed for pickup, and payments made by cash, bank transfer, and Pokemon trading cards.
Young-Larter, 26, pleaded guilty at Maidstone Crown Court on September 17 and was sentenced to three years and four months. The court declared his card collection criminal property, slung it into a Deprivation Order, and kept it out of his reach. He tried to placate the court with family commitments, but the judge reportedly told him his family must be so disappointed.
Behind the punchline, the story runs through a market where hotly anticipated sets can fuel temptation far beyond playgrounds. Detective Constable Emily Hill said the sentence was for “selfishly taking advantage” of vulnerable people, adding that while trading Pokemon cards is fun, drugs “destroy communities, so Kent officers are “on a mission to catch them all.”
It’s clear cardboard toiling upward in value, and a binder can become a currency for people siphoning cash from vulnerable users. Last year, Greater Manchester Police faced a similar headache when they tried to return a stolen $330,000 Pokemon collection after a raid uncovered the hoard.
I’m Abhishek Sharma, an author at TigerJek.com. I enjoy exploring games, testing different strategies, and turning what I learn into clear, useful guides. My goal is to help players understand the game better and improve without the usual confusion.
