Police in Laval warn of violent Pokémon crime wave targeting sellers on Facebook

Montreal-area police are warning the public about a rash of violent crimes targeting sellers of Pokémon cards and MacBooks.

Laval police say they arrested 10 young men, aged 16 to 18, on June 9 and June 11.

They say the suspects had allegedly posed as buyers and set up meetings with people who were trying to sell the cards or laptops on the Facebook Marketplace platform.

The police force shared three videos of recent incidents. They appear to show how, in some cases, people who set up meetings to sell their products were instead greeted by someone who pepper sprayed them and attempted to rob them.

Laval police spokesman Nicolas Mongeau said the sellers, ranging between 24 and 66 years old, were just average people who likely never expected to be traumatized by a violent assault or robbery.

"They are people who maybe never had to deal with police in their lives and are victims in an incident that is quite violent," Mongeau said in an interview. "There are some who missed work for a week after the incident."

He said investigators believe suspects were using a type of pepper spray that is more potent than the one used by Laval's police officers.

Only one of the suspects is 18, Mongeau added.

The incidents in Laval are the latest in a spate of Pokémon card robberies across Canada in the past year, including at the Everything J & J store in New Westminster, B.C., where thieves made off with cards worth thousands of dollars on Jan. 19.

The incidents highlight how Pokémon cards went from being a childhood playground game to valuable investments — some worth thousands or even millions of dollars — making them a lucrative target for thieves.

In March, the owner of a trading card store in Abbotsford, B.C., says a group of masked raiders ransacked his business before making off with approximately $30,000 worth of Pokémon cards in a pre-dawn robbery that was captured on video.

Last year, Calgary police said in November they were engaged in an ongoing investigation into Pokémon card thefts, while RCMP in Fort McMurray, Alta., said last August they had made an arrest after $20,000 in cards were reported stolen.

In Laval, police say they have recorded 30 incidents linked to the sale of Pokémon cards since Jan. 1, 2025, including 11 since March 1, 2026.

Following the recent arrests, the police force said that the suspects were facing theft, assault and weapons-related charges.

Police are also warning sellers on public platforms to verify a buyer's profile and to never show up alone when meeting someone to sell a product. Mongeau also said sellers should be on alert about their surroundings during any meeting with a potential seller and to prepare for any diversions.

He noted how in one of the videos, a suspect can be seen inspecting a MacBook, while another suspect approaches the seller, wearing a hood or mask.

"If the buyer proposes a meeting place that the seller isn't comfortable with, it's better to choose a neutral or secure place, either with security cameras or something else," Mongeau said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2026.

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