The Sticky is inspired by true events from 2012 (Image: PRIME VIDEO)
The Sticky, a new series inspired by true events, has just dropped on Amazon Prime Video. The show is based on the infamous Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist of 2012 that made international headlines.
The six-part series features Margo Martindale, Chris Diamantopoulos and Guillaume Cyr in leading roles.
The plot revolves around the theft of over $18 million (CAD) worth of maple syrup from Quebec’s national reserve. The official synopsis reveals that it “follows Ruth Landry (Margo Martindale), a tough, middle-aged maple syrup farmer who turns to crime when the bureaucratic authorities threaten to take away everything she loves.
“She teams up with the hot-tempered Bostonian mobster (Diamantopoulos), and a mild-mannered French-Canadian security guard (Cyr) to carry out a multi-million dollar heist on Quebec’s maple syrup surplus.”
Actress Margo was taken aback to discover the series was based on real events.
The Sticky was inspired the by Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist (Image: PRIME VIDEO)
In an interview with Variety, she expressed: “I first thought this couldn’t be a real thing. It was wild to learn about it. I love knowing about this now…I learned way, way, way, way too much about maple syrup.”
In reality, the heist occurred over several months in 2011 and 2012, involving nearly 3,000 tonnes of maple syrup stolen from a Quebec storage facility. The facility was managed by the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, which accounts for over three quarters of the world’s maple syrup supply.
The theft was suspected to be an inside job as the syrup was stored in unmarked white metal barrels, which were only inspected once a year. The thieves used trucks to transport the barrels to a secluded sugar shack, where they drained the maple syrup, refilled the barrels with water and returned them to the facility.
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As time passed, the thieves began draining syrup directly from the barrels without refilling them. The stolen syrup was then transported to Vermont and New Brunswick, where it was sold off in small quantities.
It was typically purchased by legitimate syrup distributors who were unaware of its origins.
In July 2012, the FPAQ conducted its annual inventory of syrup barrels and discovered they were empty. Police later recovered hundreds of barrels of the syrup from an exporter based in Kedgwick, New Brunswick and arrested 17 men in connection with the theft.
Richard Vallieres, the alleged mastermind, was sentenced to eight years in prison and a $9.4 million fine. His sentence would be extended to fourteen years if the fine was not paid.
The Quebec Court of Appeal later ruled the fine was excessive and reduced it to $1 million. However, in 2022, The Supreme Court of Canada overturned that decision and reinstated the original fine.
Margo Martindale, Chris Diamantopoulos and Guillaume Cyr star in the show (Image: PRIME VIDEO)
Raymond Vallieres, Richard’s father, was convicted of possession and sentenced to nearly two years in jail, followed by three years of probation.
Etienne St-Pierre, a syrup reseller based in New Brunswick, was handed down a sentence of nearly two years in jail, three years of probation and a fine exceeding $850,000.
Avik Caron, the insider whose spouse owned the FPAQ warehouse, received a five-year prison sentence along with a $1.2 million fine.
Sebastien Jutras, a lorry driver involved in the transportation of the stolen syrup, served an eight-month prison term.
The Sticky is available to watch on Prime Video now