Deep in rural Quebec sits a warehouse the public was never meant to think about, a strategic reserve holding tens of millions of dollars in maple syrup, guarded like a national treasure. This was supposed to be the failsafe when something went wrong with the usual harvests, a safe haven protecting one of Canada's most beloved industries. 

However, during a routine inspection, an auditor notices something that might threaten the very foundation of their institution, the barrels feel lighter than they should. Then another, and another, and another. Alarm bells were immediately rung, and by the end of the count, more than 9,000 barrels had been compromised.

As it turned out, thieves had somehow been slipping in, draining the syrup barrel by barrel, and refilling them with water to keep the weight; and they managed to do this without being caught for the better part of a year. What followed was a manhunt that spanned provinces, exposing the strange economics of Quebec's syrup cartel, and turning a handful of small-town conspirators into Canada's most unlikely criminal syndicate. 

Tune in to find out more.

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