Irish National Arrested in NYC for Smuggling Rhino Horns

An Irish national was arrested in New York City last week for allegedly playing a role in international wildlife trafficking. The man is said to have fraudulently purchased black rhino horns in Texas and used falsified documents to sell the illicit items on the black market, an act of smuggling in violation of the Lacey Act.

Michael Slattery, Jr. was arraigned by a federal magistrate judge in Brooklyn for his alleged distribution of four black rhinoceros horns, which he tried to sell for a total of $50,000.

According to the court records, Slattery, 25, traveled from England to Texas to acquire the black rhino horns. Working with an unnamed and untold number of accomplices, the records allege that Slattery recruited a day laborer with a Texas driving license to purchase two horns for him at an auction house in Austin.

Federal court documents report that Slattery and his group then traveled to New York and used a fraudulent Endangered Species Bill of Sale to sell the two auctioned horns and two others to an unnamed buyer for $50,000.

Slattery is reportedly a member of The Rathkeale Rovers, a closely-knit group of extended families that live a nomadic, but affluent, lifestyle. The Irish news website The Independent has called the group "Ireland's nomadic yuppies."

Citing information from Europol, the court record states the Rathkeale Rovers "have been involved in an epidemic of raids on museums in Europe in which rhinoceros horns have been stolen."

"The illicit trafficking in black rhino horns encourages the wholesale destruction of these protected animals. Slattery showed no regard for the black rhino's tenuous hold on survival, as he allegedly used a straw buyer and fraudulent documents to convert the protected animal parts into cash," Loretta E. Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement.

"This arrest is the culmination of the dogged efforts of committed law enforcement agents to track down and root out illegal trafficking in protected wildlife," said Lynch, adding that "the majestic black rhinoceros is protected under the laws of this country and the international community -- we stand by our obligations to defend these precious animals."

The last few years have seen a boom in demand for rhino horns, which are valued by the Chinese, Vietnamese and other East Asian cultures as folk art items. Powdered rhino horn, which is essentially the same substance as human fingernails, is also erroneously believed to have medicinal properties. A recent surge in affluent individuals in Vietnam has boosted demand for rhino horns. In South Africa, where about 75 percent of the world's rhinos live in the wild, illegal poaching has exploded. In 2007 only 13 live rhinos were poached. This year the number of rhinos poached in South Africa is at an all-time high of 688 and with three months left in the year, the number is only expected to grow.  

Slattery's arrest is a result of "Operation Crash," a nationwide effort led by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Justice Department to investigate and prosecute those involved in the black market trade of endangered rhinoceros horns.