A member of a shadowy band of of Irish nomads was busted at Newark Airport last week for trading in illegal rhinoceros horns for big bucks, prosecutors revealed in Brooklyn federal court Wednesday.
Michael Slattery, 25, allegedly purchased the horns of the endangered species in Texas and sold them for $50,000 in New York, officials said.
Slattery is a member of the increasingly notorious Rathkeale Rovers, a group of Irishmen who authorities say travel the world to conduct their illegal activities.
European officials claim the Rovers are linked to raids on museums where rhino horns have been stolen before being sold.
Slattery used a day laborer to purchase a set of horns in Austin to shield him from detection and then traveled to New York in 2010 to sell off his goods, according to prosecutors.