Thieves in the Canadian province of Quebec may have pulled off the sweetest heist of all time, siphoning off a reservoir of maple syrup from a warehouse and cleverly covering up their caper to evade detection, an industry group said on Friday.

The warehouse in rural Quebec held more than C$30 million ($30.4 million) worth of maple syrup, a whopping 4.5 million kilograms of the amber pancake topping.

It was not clear exactly how much syrup was taken in the heist, which occurred at some point over the last few days and was uncovered during a routine inventory check.

"We don't know how much is missing, [but it] is significant," said Anne-Marie Granger Godbout, executive director of the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers.

The warehouse, some 160 kilometers northeast of Montreal, is one of many locations where Quebec's maple syrup is temporarily stored ahead of sale and distribution.

The agency believes the syrup was taken to be sold on the black market.

With Quebec's 2012 harvest expected to top 43 million kilograms, the province produces some 75 percent of the global supply of maple syrup, made from the sap of maple trees.

All the syrup held by the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers is insured and the agency maintains a stockpile of syrup that it likens to a "global strategic reserve," according to a press release.

"I can assure you there will be no shortage in maple syrup," said Granger Godbout.

Reuters