Pokémon cards were the focus of a gang who turned up at an Abbotsford, B.C., collectibles store on Friday — but they weren’t there to play.

In pre-dawn scenes captured on the store’s security video, the masked raiders smash a window then loop a chain and a large hook around the security grate, which they wrench out with their car.

Owner Brandon Chreptyk said the gang then ransacked the store for about two minutes, making off with approximately $30,000 worth of Pokémon cards.

“They were targeting us for Pokémon cards specifically, which seems to be a trend right now. A lot of stores in the Lower Mainland have been robbed for that specifically,” said Chreptyk.

Pokémon cards have gone from being a childhood playground game to valuable investments — some worth thousands or even millions of dollars — making them a lucrative target for thieves.

There has been a spate of Pokémon card robberies around 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 on Jan. 19.

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.

Chreptyk said the video of the robbery at his store, which has more than 6.5 million views on Instagram, is horrifying for him to watch. The thieves are seen hurdling the counter to stuff boxes of cards into white bags.

“It was just the sheer amount of damage they did was crazy,” said Chreptyk.

He said police were on the scene in 4 1/2 minutes, but just missed the robbers.

Sgt. Paul Walker with Abbotsford police said the House of Cards theft is classified as a break and enter, and remains under investigation. He said he could not release more details.

Hailey Finnigan, a communications officer with New Westminster police, said officers are seeking CCTV footage to help identify suspects in the Everything J & J break-in.

Finnigan said Pokémon collectors should be wary of being targeted by criminals.

Chreptyk said his store doesn’t keep its high-value products at the store — instead, they are in bank safety deposit boxes.

The Pokémon trading card game was launched in Japan in 1996, based on successful video games. The game’s concept involves capturing, training and fighting with various Pokémon — short for “pocket monsters” — which have different powers and attributes.

They are now part of a multimedia universe, including an anime series and a live-action movie, starring Ryan Reynolds.

Chreptyk said children still love Pokémon cards, and his store hosts popular Pokémon tournaments.

But adults are more focused on buying and trading rare cards, which can be “quite valuable,” said Chreptyk.

How expensive? American social media influencer Logan Paul sold a card for US$16.49 million last month, having acquired it for about a third of that in cash and trades.

Chreptyk said his store steers clear of such rare, high-end cards since they would bring in the wrong crowd.

“We’ve been doing Pokémon for 15 years, and it’s only been crazy in the last five years since the pandemic. And now it’s just a frenzy. It’s bad news — the wrong people are involved.”

Keith Wong and Max Wong, co-owners of Team Collectors in Richmond, B.C., said the break-in video posted by House of Cards took them aback.

“I was pretty shocked, surprised by how actually well co-ordinated they are,” said Max Wong. He said he knew of “so many” break-ins.

One of the most expensive cards at Team Collectors is worth about $20,000. Keith Wong said they don’t feel comfortable bringing it to the store.

“We could still sell them, but it would be appointment-only or meet at local banks or police stations,” he said.

At their store in the Parker Place mall, they point to black security gates that they had installed after the J & J robbery.

They also added more security cameras, bringing the total to 10. There’s also a 24-hour security service for the mall.

Keith Wong gestured to a yellow Pikachu figure on the counter, joking that the most famous Pokémon character was also part of the security crew.

Max Wong said many collectors want to relive the childhood excitement of opening a pack of Pokémon cards to find out what was inside. Others were focused on their investment value.

“Any age can collect Pokémon, and any dollar amount can also start playing Pokémon,” said Keith Wong, adding that the hobby could cost from 25 cents to millions of dollars.

In Abbotsford, Chreptyk said the store is open again after the cleanup. He said the response from the local Pokémon card community has been overwhelming, with supporters bringing them doughnuts and hand-drawn pictures of Pokémon characters.

The store shared a child’s drawing on Instagram, showing a colourful Pikachu with the message: “To House of Cards, I am sorry about your stolen cards, from Olivia.”

“Our community is the best,” the store responded.