A man described as one of the ringleaders in the 2012 theft of $18.7 million worth of maple syrup has been sentenced to eight years in prison, but that term could be extended if he can't pay his multimillion-dollar fine. If Vallières does not pay the fine, he will have to spend an additional six years behind bars. The elaborate maple syrup robbery involved 3,000 tonnes of syrup from a warehouse belonging to the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers — the regulatory body that controls and manages the syrup trade. Officials with the federation quickly realized that dozens of its barrels contained not syrup, but water. His lawyer argued he had been coerced to fill the barrels with water by a man who carried a gun.

Source: CBC News April 28, 2017 20:30 UTC