Thief In The Canadian Maple Syrup Heist Is Being Ordered To Pay A Fine Of Over $9 Million

One of the people involved in the infamous Canadian maple syrup heist is being ordered to pay a fine that's over $9 million!

Richard Vallières was arrested and found guilty of fraud, trafficking and theft relating to the theft, which is known as the "Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist."

The theft was discovered in July 2012 when the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers did a routine inventory check at a warehouse and found barrels containing water instead of maple syrup.

Vallières had appealed the fine of just more than $9 million which he was given during sentencing.

The fine was then reduced to around $1 million, which was the profit Vallières made from selling the stolen syrup for $10 million.

After an appeal from the Crown that the fine shouldn't have been reduced, the Supreme Court of Canada sided with the Crown in a judgement on March 31, 2022.

Chief Justice Wagner said that Vallières must pay a fine equal to the value of the stolen syrup which amounts to over $9 million.

That figure isn't the full $10 million from the sale because the amount that he owed to the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers under a separate court order was subtracted from it.

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Vallières has 10 years to pay the fine or he will have to serve six years in prison.

If you didn't know, Canada has a secret maple syrup vault in Quebec that's a warehouse stocked with nothing but barrels of maple syrup!

Back in 2021, the vault had to be dipped into because of the strong demand for maple syrup along with an average production season that year.

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.