The Mafiosi who were slyly hoarding bootleg truffles hastily hatched their plots.
'60 Minutes' exposes dark side of truffle trade Black and white truffles are the world's most expensive foods, and they are coveted by chefs and criminals alike.
John Platt
January 9, 2012, 1:17 p.m. Photo: Ulterior Epicure/Flickr
Truffles are big business. The tasty fungi are fetching record prices, but in the process they are also attracting criminals looking for greater profits than found in the drug trade, according to a report from CBS's "60 Minutes."
Truffles are "being trafficked like drugs, stolen by thugs, and threatened by inferior imports from China," said correspondent Lesley Stahl on the program that aired Jan. 8.
Black truffles from France cost more than $1,000 a pound. Italian white truffles are even more valuable, bringing in around $3,600 a pound. Continued...
