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Maple syrup heist threatens Quebec’s reserve of Canada’s sweetest export

dudeone

By dudeone
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dudeone Abbotsford Regular

dudeone

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Maple syrup heist threatens Quebec’s reserve of Canada’s sweetest export

Published on Friday August 31, 2012

Emily Jackson

Staff Reporter

http://www.thestar.c...sweetest-export

Maple syrup burglars left behind only empty barrels and questions after pilfering from Quebec’s maple syrup reserves last week.

The heist was discovered during a routine inventory check at the St-Louis-de-Blandford warehouse, the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers’ temporary storage facility for 10 million pounds of Canada’s sweetest export.

Worth $30 million, there was enough maple syrup in the warehouse to fill one and a half Olympic-sized swimming pools, or about 3.75 million litres, federation director Anne-Marie Granger Godbout said.

That would fill about 7.5 million bottles on grocery store shelves.

Evidently, the thieves broke through locks and a fence into the industrial location and siphoned the sappy substance into their own barrels.

The Sureté du Québec continues to investigate a week later, but there are few answers, Sgt. Ronald McInnis said.

He couldn’t confirm exactly how much syrup was stolen, although he said it was a “large quantity.”

The federation, which is responsible for the “global strategic maple syrup reserve,” fears the sticky-fingered burglars intend to sell the syrup on the black market.

“The marketing of the stolen maple syrup will affect the entire maple industry,” according to the federation’s news release. “It is crucial to identify those responsible for this crime.”

The thieves made off with the goods just in time — the federation planned to move the syrup to a new storage facility over the next few weeks.

Quebec produces 70 to 80 per cent of the world’s maple syrup, a volume that is critically important because of America’s “catastrophic” low harvest this year. About 75 per cent of Quebec’s maple syrup is exported to the U.S., Granger Godbout said.

This isn’t the first time maple syrup has gone missing, McInnis said. A few years ago a similar theft happened near Quebec City.

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dudeone Abbotsford Regular

dudeone

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Police make arrests in the great maple syrup swindle

By The Canadian Press | Associated Press – 9 hrs ago

http://news.yahoo.co...-155810448.html

MONTREAL - There have been arrests in the case of a massive maple syrup heist.

Three people were detained today in connection with the theft of a large quantity of the national condiment from a warehouse in Quebec.

Police also seized vehicles suspected of being used in the illicit trafficking of the stolen syrup.

Those arrested are scheduled to face charges today in a Trois-Rivieres courtroom of theft, conspiracy, fraud and trafficking in stolen goods.

There are arrest warrants out for five other people.

Officers from the RCMP, the Canada Border Services Agency and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement assisted the Quebec provincial police in the investigation — which featured interviews with 300 people in the maple syrup industry in Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and the northern U.S.

Police never disclosed the exact amount of maple syrup reported stolen in August. But it's known the loot came from a warehouse containing Quebec's maple syrup reserves, which was supposed to hold 4.5 million kilos valued at $30 million.

The theft was discovered during a routine inventory check at the warehouse belonging to the Quebec Federation of Maple Syrup Producers in St-Louis-de-Blandford, Que.

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Wetcoaster Canucks First-Line

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And police have arrested some of the sticky fingered thieves:

An investigation into a massive maple syrup theft from a Quebec warehouse last summer has led to the arrest of three people, who are due to face charges in court today.

Between August 2011 and July 2012, thieves got away with 9,600 barrels of maple syrup worth approximately $18 million from a warehouse in Saint-Louis-de-Blandford, about 95 kilometres southwest of Quebec City.

Richard Vallières, 34, of Loretteville and Avik Caron, 39, of Saint-Wenceslas, along with a third person arrested without a warrant face charges of theft, conspiracy, handling stolen goods and fraud.

Authorities said they are still looking for five other people in connection with the theft.

Last summer, it was believed about $30 million worth of syrup was stolen. Simon Trépanier, interim director of the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, said they noticed fewer barrels missing after verification.

Authorities obtained search warrants in Quebec, New Brunswick, Ontario and in the United States.

Sgt. Claude Denis, spokesman for the Quebec provincial police, would not say how thieves managed to get away with the large amount of maple syrup.

"During the investigation, police officers met approximately 300 people working in the production and sale of maple syrup and transportation," said Denis.

Officials said they were able to retrieve two-thirds of the stolen syrup. They also seized electronic scales, elevator platforms and kettles that are used in the production of maple syrup.

In October, authorities seized approximately 1,000 barrels of maple syrup from S.K. Export Inc in Kedgwick, N.B.

Étienne St-Pierre, the owner of the export business, said the syrup came from his regular providers in Quebec and not from the warehouse in Saint-Louis-de-Blandford.

At the time, the business's general manager, Julienne Bossé-Desrosiers, told Radio-Canada she had documents to prove the company bought its syrup directly from producers.

The warehouse stored about 3.4 million litres of bulk maple syrup, which belonged to the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers.

The federation represents the province's 7,500 producers and administers a bulk sale system with quotas on individual operations.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/story/2012/12/18/quebec-theft-maple-syrup-court.html

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dudeone Abbotsford Regular

dudeone

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Police make arrests in the great maple syrup swindle

By The Canadian Press | Associated Press – 9 hrs ago

MONTREAL - There have been arrests in the case of a massive maple syrup heist.

Three people were detained today in connection with the theft of a large quantity of the national condiment from a warehouse in Quebec.

Police also seized vehicles suspected of being used in the illicit trafficking of the stolen syrup.

Those arrested are scheduled to face charges today in a Trois-Rivieres courtroom of theft, conspiracy, fraud and trafficking in stolen goods.

There are arrest warrants out for five other people.

Officers from the RCMP, the Canada Border Services Agency and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement assisted the Quebec provincial police in the investigation — which featured interviews with 300 people in the maple syrup industry in Quebec, Ontario, New Brunswick and the northern U.S.

Police never disclosed the exact amount of maple syrup reported stolen in August. But it's known the loot came from a warehouse containing Quebec's maple syrup reserves, which was supposed to hold 4.5 million kilos valued at $30 million.

The theft was discovered during a routine inventory check at the warehouse belonging to the Quebec Federation of Maple Syrup Producers in St-Louis-de-Blandford, Que.

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