This is an IHeart podcast.

Welcome to Criminalia, a production of Shondaland Audio in partnership with IHeartRadio.

You can't prove what tree the syrup came from, stated one of the accomplices in the great Canadian maple syrup heist

during his trial. Beginning in 2011, a group of thieves siphoned pure maple syrup from

thousands of white metal barrels stockpiled in Quebec, Canada. Now, we didn't know, and maybe you

didn't either, that Canada exports a liquid that has been as much as 25 times more expensive than crude oil.

And that's maple syrup.

At the time of this heist, grade A syrup, the most popular type, was trading at about $32 per gallon, which added up to $1,800 a barrel, which is roughly 13 times the price of crude oil at that time.

Imagine the payoff if you sold stolen maple syrup on the black market?

Well, we're about to find out.

Welcome to Criminalia.

I'm Maria Tremarky.

And I'm Holly Fry.

So before we get into the sticky business of the heist, let's talk maple stuff.

Maple products are big business in Canada, and they export syrup and related goods to more than 70 countries.

You'll find sparkling maple water, maple butter, and jams, sugar candy, pork grub, vinegars, coffees, and spirits.

You can even find maple perfume.

Maple syrup has even been to space.

But no matter how popular it is, this liquid gold is really simply just tree sap from maple trees.

There are a few species of maple trees, but because of their high sugar content,

maple syrup comes from red maple and sugar maple forests,

forests that grow in the upper right-hand corner of North America.

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