Jack Young-Larter, 26, has been jailed for three years and four months after running a scheme where drug customers paid off debts by stealing Pokémon cards.
The Maidstone dealer was sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court on Thursday, September 17, after pleading guilty to multiple drug offenses. His downfall began when police executed a search warrant at his home on May 1, uncovering a operation that mixed narcotics with collectible card trading.
Officers seized two cellphones, 110g of cannabis, more than 25g of cocaine, scales, empty deal bags, and £2,000 in cash during the raid. They also found a box of rare Pokémon cards allegedly worth thousands of pounds, though the exact valuation was not disclosed.
The investigation of Young-Larter’s devices revealed messages sent to clients requesting they steal “tins of Pokémon cards” in exchange for debt forgiveness. “Take off” their debt, he promised, according to the messages reviewed by investigators. Other communications referenced payments via cash and bank transfer, building a case that extended beyond the unusual card-for-drugs barter system.
Young-Larter faced charges for being concerned in the supply of cocaine, being concerned in the supply of cannabis, and possession of criminal property. He entered guilty pleas to all counts before his September sentencing hearing.
The seized items, including the Pokémon collection, now fall under a Deprivation Order, a UK court mechanism that strips offenders of property rights connected to criminal activity. This means Young-Larter will not reclaim the cards or any other materials linked to his offenses.
Detective Constable Emily Hill, the investigating officer, addressed the case in a statement following the sentencing. “Young-Larter is rightly serving time behind bars for selfishly taking advantage of vulnerable members of the Maidstone community for his own financial gain,” she said.
Hill continued: “He attempted to mitigate his crime at court, claiming family commitments should be taken into account. The judge refused to accept this as reasonable argument and point blankly expressed that his family must be so disappointed in him.”
The Kent officer then drew a sharp contrast between the innocence of card collecting and the damage of drug dealing. “Trading Pokémon cards is a fun activity for all ages, but substances are dangerous; they destroy communities, and – in the worst cases – leave friends and families bereft,” she said. “So, when it comes to those dealing drugs on Kent’s streets, our officers are on a mission to catch them all.”
The Pokémon trading card market has seen explosive valuations in recent years, with rare collectibles fetching millions at auction. Logan Paul’s 2021 purchase of a prized card for $5,275,000 and its subsequent resale for $16.492 million illustrates the extraordinary financial stakes within the hobby that Young-Larter attempted to exploit through criminal means.