Some crooks don’t know the first rule of crime: don’t stick around.
STICKY-FINGERED THIEVES
Over the years, there have been many stories of robberies that captured the imagination of the public, from the Great Train Robbery, to the stories of thefts completed by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Bonnie and Clyde. People have long heard about the heists of such valuable items as cash, gold, diamonds, and even oil. In 2012, another very unexpected robbery was added to that list: The theft of maple syrup from the Global Strategic Syrup Reserve (GSSR) in Quebec.
Located about two hours northeast of Montreal in Saint-Louis-de-Blandford, the GSSR truly lives up to its name. According to a December 19, 2012 New York Times report, the province can produce as much as 75 percent of the world’s supply of maple syrup. The GSSR is the brainchild of the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, an organization given the authority by the Canadian government to set supply quotas for producers as well as local prices. Since some seasons (which are only about 24 days long) produce more syrup than others, the Federation thought it would be a good idea to have a reserve of syrup on hand for those leaner years; hence the GSSR. The Federation compares the GSSR with the United States’ strategic oil reserves. Except believe it or not, barrels of maple syrup are more valuable than their “slick” counterparts: grade A syrup sells for about $32 per gallon, or $1,800 per barrel. The New York Times estimated syrup to be three times more valuable than crude oil.
GETTING TO THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL
The GSSR had stored about 20.9 million kilograms (46 million pounds) of this expensive stuff in part of a rented brick warehouse while building the facility that would be the GSSR’s permanent home. The Federation had hired an accountant, Michel Gauvreau, to audit the inventory at the warehouse. During his audit, he discovered that some barrels were empty and some contained water. After about two months of going through the inventory, Gauvreau and inspectors discovered that 6 million pounds of syrup, or about $18 million worth, had been stolen from the facility. A BusinessWeek report calculated that it would take more than 100 tractor trailers to transport that much syrup.
Authohenge is a full-scale replica of Stonehenge built from old cars in Oshawa, Ontario.
AN INTERNATIONAL CRIME TEAM CRACKS MYSTERY
The Canadian government took the theft of its precious maple syrup quite seriously. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated the crime, issuing 40 search warrants and questioning about 300 people. Police arrested Richard Vallières as the ringleader, and a total of 23 people were charged. Canada’s National Post called the group the Maple Syrup Mafia (which is better than the Maple Syrup Gang, which would sound too much like a Walt Disney movie). It turns out the thieves were pretty blatant about the whole thing. They rented space in the same warehouse and simply moved the syrup from one section of the warehouse to another and then out onto a loading dock. From there, they presented themselves as legitimate producers to buyers in the neighboring province of New Brunswick, and eventually the illicitly gotten syrup ended up in the United States, where the trail turned cold. Since there’s no bar code on containers, and you can’t stamp serial numbers on syrup, people in the United States are probably unwitting possessors of stolen property, and eating it on their pancakes.
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A MAPLE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY
When most people think maple, they also think syrup and pancakes—not health food. But Quebec maple producers want people to start thinking differently. In spring 2013, maple water was launched as an “ideal thirst-quencher in the summer or for rehydrating after physical exercise.” The Federation of Maple Syrup Producers is touting the beverage as a historic tonic that First Nations people and fur traders originally drank for energy and hydration. A spokeswoman for the product compared it to drinking “fresh maple water directly from the tree.” And for those worried about packing on the pounds from drinking the maple beverage, Maple water has 25 calories in a 250-millileter (8.5-ounce) serving.
Queen Elizabeth has a personal flag that is flown only when she is in Canada.