“Yes.”
“Then yes!”
Buddy the Elf isn’t the only guy who likes syrup. I’ve actually handled a sticky (sorry) maple litigation before, so I’m familiar with how much money there can be in sap — but a news story today out of Canada today proved just what big business syrup is. It’s so lucrative that an OPEC-style cartel in Quebec controls “about 77 percent of the world’s maple syrup.” (An OPEC-style cartel!)
It’s so lucrative that Canada has a “strategic maple syrup reserve.” (A strategic maple syrup reserve!)
It’s so lucrative that three men were just arrested for stealing 6 million gallons of maple syrup from that reserve.
That’s $18 million in syrup.
How do you steal that much syrup? Apparently, you rent the adjoining spot in the warehouse for an unrelated business, drive in large trucks, and siphon away. And then you, you know, get caught.
If you are interested, here is a study on the funny Canadian laws that allowed for a syrup cartel in the first place.