Sticky fingered burglars steal from Quebec's maple syrup reserves

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MONTREAL – Sticky-fingered burglars are being hunted by Quebec provincial police after a theft of maple syrup from the provincial reserves of the tasty treat.

The Quebec Federation of Maple Syrup Producers says the theft of a “large quantity” from the warehouse in St-Louis-de-Blandford was discovered during a routine inventory check.

The burglarized warehouse held more than 4.5 million kilograms of maple syrup valued at over $30 million. The exact amount of the theft was not disclosed.

Empty barrels found on the site suggest their contents had been emptied into other containers for illegal distribution.

Federation president Serge Beaulieu says the warehouse had been locked and was surrounded by a fence.

It was checked regularly.

The syrup was in temporary storage at the warehouse and was slated to be moved to a new facility in the coming weeks.

Quebec provides between 70 and 80 per cent of the world’s maple syrup and two-thirds of the Canadian production exported to the United States, according to the federation.

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