Hello there, Crime Sound listeners. We have something fun and different for you today. So, as you know, we love strange crimes and history.

So when Vanessa Richardson invited us to join an episode of her show, Conspiracy Theory, Cults, and Crimes, we had to do it.

The topic, a maple syrup heist. In 2011 and 2012, there was a small crew of men who pulled off

something that sounds more like a comedic crime movie than real life. They broke into the

world's only strategic maple syrup reserve and they stole nearly $19 million worth of liquid gold.

And the question isn't just how they did it. It's why the

system that made the theft possible still hasn't changed. In this episode of conspiracy theories,

cults and crimes, we introduced the case, and then we have an extended conversation with Vanessa

at the very end of the episode to give our thoughts and takeaways about the case.

So you're about to hear a preview of the episode. And to listen to the full episode, follow

conspiracy theories, cults, and crimes on your favorite podcast app. Make sure you follow them and catch new episodes every week.

This is Crime House.

On July 30th, 2012, there was an auditor named Michelle Gavreau, and he arrived at a warehouse

off a highway in rural Quebec to do his job, which was to count the barrels.

It was a hot summer day at the warehouse, and it wasn't exactly glamorous.

It was a plain red brick building sitting quietly beside a highway, two hours northeast of Montreal.

But what was inside was worth more than most people would earn in a lifetime.

Barrel after barrel of maple syrup.

Over 16,000 of them, each one weighing more than 600 pounds.

And all of it belonging to the most powerful maple syrup organization in the world.

Michelle was a careful man, organized. He liked things to be in order. So when he stepped

through the warehouse doors that morning and that smell hit him, not the warm sweet scent he

...