In 2017, Italian authorities uncovered a multimillion-dollar scheme as part of a big Mafia bust. But it has nothing to do with broken legs or hard drugs. Follow the trail as investigators uncover and take down a fake olive oil export empire, designed to fleece unsuspecting American shoppers. Scamtown is an Apple Original podcast, produced by FunMeter. Follow and listen on Apple Podcasts. http://apple.co/Scamtown
James, do you cook with olive oil?
Oh, every single day.
Does it have to be the extra virgin, high quality stuff or does it not matter to you?
I really do love olive oil, so.
I try to get the extra virgin pricey stuff.
But how do you know that it's the high quality stuff?
If I'm being totally honest with you, I really don't know.
I probably couldn't pick it out of a lineup.
I just know that it's more expensive.
I'm probably even worse than you because I don't cook with it every day.
But most Americans wouldn't know either.
And that's why in a lot of cases, fraudulent olive oil can be more profitable than selling cocaine.
Today, we take you through the super lucrative scam of olive oil fraud.
So leave the gun, take the cannoli, and get ready for the story of how an international crackdown crippled one of the biggest Italian mob families.
Welcome to Scam Town, an Apple original podcast produced by Fun Meter.
I'm Brian Lazarthe.
And I'm James Lee Hernandez.
We're filmmakers who've been trading stories now for quite some time.
Obsessed and compelled to bring some of our favorites to life.
We love a surprising heist, an intricate scam, or just pulling back the curtain on something you think you know.