A young London card game champion has suffered a devastating financial and personal blow after his collection of rare trading cards, valued at over £20,000, vanished during a bus journey across Europe.
The Disappearance on a FlixBus Journey
Anes Bouzouin, a 22-year-old from Camden, was returning from the Bandai Card Games Fest in Dusseldorf, Germany. He was travelling on a FlixBus service to Eindhoven in the Netherlands to catch a flight home when the incident occurred. His suitcase, containing approximately 300 cards from the popular One Piece trading card game, disappeared from the vehicle's luggage compartment.
Anes, who holds the title of the UK's number one-ranked One Piece player, described the emotional turmoil. "I've gone through the stages of grief, and I'm just looking for solutions," he told the Daily Mail. "It was very hard. It still is very hard."
A Suspected Theft and a Frustrating Response
The suspected theft is believed to have happened while the bus made stops near the Dutch town of Roermond. Anes recalls a moment where he felt uneasy after seeing the driver briefly exit and run to the back of the coach. Upon checking at the next stop, his suitcase was gone.
He immediately reported the loss to both FlixBus and the Netherlands police. However, he claims neither provided substantial help. The police closed his case after just three days, citing a lack of concrete evidence and insufficient leads, as it was unclear whether the bag was stolen or simply lost.
Financial Ruin and Dashed Dreams
The loss represents a catastrophic financial hit for Anes, who is a carer for his mother who has cancer. The collection's value had skyrocketed recently, with some cards appreciating by 300% in weeks. Among the stolen items was a sealed Monkey D. Luffy card valued at £15,000 alone.
This theft has completely derailed his future plans. Anes had invested heavily to secure stock to open a card shop in Camden, where he also hoped to run youth entrepreneurship workshops. "The plan is 'dead in the water'," he lamented, stating he must now seek new employment to support his family.
Compounding the tragedy, many of the lost cards belonged to friends he was trading for at the convention. To reimburse them, he has set up a GoFundMe page with a £15,000 target, stressing that the funds are solely to make others whole, not for his personal loss. He has raised just under £2,000 so far.
Anes has vowed that if the suitcase is miraculously found, he will raffle the valuable cards to donors as a thank you. For now, the UK's top player is grounded, unable to afford travel to European tournaments, and facing a long road to rebuild both his collection and his life.
