Pokémon cards are interesting because they both cater to kids and adults. Whether collectors or players, these cards have always been a hot item wherever they end up.
So hot that a Chinese company shipped 7.6 tons (approx. 7,600 kilograms) worth of Pokemon Cards to the Netherlands to sell.
But they were all fake.
According to Pokeguardian, these counterfeit cards were intercepted at the Shangai Pudong International Airport Customs in China and were reportedly on their way to the Netherlands These packs would most likely be marketed and sold as authentic products in Europe.
Suspicion arose when the large shipment sent by Qingdao Import and Export Co., Ltd had tagged the items as unbranded.
Officers then decided to inspect the boxes only to find a multitude of Pokémon card packs inside. A total of 20 boxes containing about 400,000 booster packs were accounted for at the scene.
READ: 77-year-old goes out to play Pokémon Go, gets arrested
Twenty boxes of counterfeit #Pokemon #Pikachu game cards weighing over 7.6 tons were intercepted at Shanghai's Pudong Airport by customs officials yesterday. Bound for the Netherlands from a company in Qingdao province, it is one of the biggest fake #IP hauls in recent years. pic.twitter.com/zM2y6BiTIt
— Yicai 第一财经 (@yicaichina) November 23, 2021
This is reportedly one of the biggest cases of intellectual property protection authorities have encountered in the airport in years.