When a large quantity of maple syrup went missing in rural Quebec, it was believed that a good portion of it could’ve been smuggled across the border into the States.  Alas, while the Maple-Syrup Mafia remains at large, another band of notorious food fleecers, the Fort Erie Gouda Gang, have just had their profits melted by police.  The Niagara Regional Police Service announced in a media release that they’ve sunk their teeth into three Fort Erie residents suspected of smuggling some $200K worth of fromage across the Peace Bridge, then reselling it north of the border for a tidy profit of $165-thousand—that’s almost double their money!  I guess cheese must be pretty cheap down in Buffalo, eh?

But here’s where it gets really cheesy: two of them are cops!  Or at least they used to be.  Constable Scott Heron was suspended from duty when the cheese hit the block back in June, while Casey Langelaan, who was also suspended at the onset of the investigation, “is no longer employed by the Niagara Regional Police Service.”  Their alleged partner-in-cheesecrime, Bernie “Medium Aged” Pollino, was also picked up by the fuzz.  The three face a range of offences, from Breach of Trust to Smuggling to Keeping, Acquiring or Disposing of Illegally Imported Goods.  The date of their preliminary hearing has yet to be announced.

Then again, the cheese-squeezers might not be the NRPS’ biggest concern.  According to the Toronto Star, “Niagara Regional Police are also investigating some of its officers with respect to steroid use and possible trafficking in performance-enhancing drugs.”  Word has it they’re putting some of their best muscle on that case…