Topline
The Canadian Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the convicted ringleader of an early 2010s scheme that made off with about one-eighth of Quebec’s strategic maple syrup supply to pay a fine of more than 9 million Canadian dollars ($7.2 million), after leading one of the biggest known heists in Canada’s history.
Bottles of pure Canadian maple syrup are seen in Toronto. (Photo by Creative Touch Imaging … [+]
Key Facts
The court unanimously ruled Richard Vallières must pay the multi-million dollar fine, reversing a lower court order that only fined him 1 million Canadian dollars ($800,000).
The fine, along with another 830,000 Canadian dollar ($665,000) penalty he’s been ordered to pay under a separate court order, roughly total the 10 million Canadian dollars ($8 million) Vallières and his associates sold stolen maple syrup for in the early 2010s.
Vallières was found guilty in 2016 of stealing 9,500 barrels worth of syrup from a warehouse in Saint-Louis-de-Blandford, Quebec, that belonged to the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (FPAQ), which tightly regulates production and sales of the region’s maple syrup.
The syrup had a market value of more than 18 million Canadian dollars ($14.4 million), but Vallières said at his trial it was sold at a lower price.
He is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence.
Key Background
The crime was uncovered in summer 2012 after an inspector climbed onto a stack of maple syrup barrels, which weigh nearly 600 pounds, and almost toppled over. It was quickly discovered some barrels were empty, while others that were drained of syrup had been refilled with water. Vallières and others involved in what’s become popularly known as the “Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist” were arrested that December. Authorities from both Canada and the U.S. were involved in the investigation, along with officials from the FPAQ, which has often been described as a “cartel” for its tight control of Quebec’s maple syrup industry and drawn comparisons to OPEC, which is known for its influence on global oil markets. The syrup Vallières stole was stored in barrels that were part of FPAQ’s International Strategic Reserve, also known as the Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve.
Big Number
72%. That’s how much of the world’s maple syrup supply is sourced from Quebec.
Further Reading
Maple syrup thief must pay $9.1M fine, Supreme Court rules (CBC)
INSIDE QUEBEC’S GREAT, MULTI-MILLION-DOLLAR MAPLE-SYRUP HEIST (Vanity Fair)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/nicholasreimann/2022/03/31/ringleader-of-great-canadian-maple-syrup-heist-ordered-to-pay-multi-million-dollar-fine/