In a story released by the BBC this week, a police officer from Ontario as well as two civilians are being charged on allegations of cheese smuggling. Not only is the conspiracy a head turner, but the lucrative nature of the business venture is as well. Managing $165,000 in pure profit, the Cheddar Trio has turned the Canadian dairy market on its head. The venture has proved beneficial for all parties involved as buyers get the dairy delicatessens for far less than their Canadian counterparts.
Due to regulations on the agricultural growth of animals to produce dairy in Canada, as well as import caps from America to Canada, many restaurants near Niagara Falls have decided to go Black Market with their culinary creations and risk jail time. With limits on the amount of cheeses, that can be legally imported into Canada, only being 44 lb there is hardly an efficient way to get the cheese without losing the money saved in gas and travel time. Sometimes the most novel ideas prove to have the greatest impacts on the community, and in Southern Canada, the idea was cheese running.
Much like moonshine runners during prohibition, these three feta fiends found a resourceful way to meet the needs of a community, profit themselves, and not get caught. It wasn’t until June 2012 that Constable Scott Heron was put on suspension for his involvement with the Queso Conquistadors, and is likely facing federal sentencing for conspiracy smuggling and customs violations. With a civil penalty of paying back 245% of the value of the amount product exploited, this will easily go down in history as the most expensive ring of cheese ever.