Hunt for crime gang after theft of rhino horns worth €500,000

Gardaí are tracking down members of a notorious crime gang suspected of stealing eight rhino horns, valued at €500,000, from the National History Museum.

This criminal network, known as the Rathkeale Rovers, is a major player in the theft and trade of stolen rhino horn in Europe, the US and Asia.

The outfit, wanted across 16 European countries and the US, is based around several close-knit Traveller families and is named after the Co Limerick town.

The EU police agency Europol has identified the network as a “highly organised crime group”.

Four rhinoceros heads, with a total of eight horns, were taken from the National Museum Archives in Swords, north Dublin, late on Wednesday night.

The heads were moved into storage from the museum a year ago because of the threat of theft.

Rhino horn is highly sought after in Asia for its supposed medicinal, as well as, decorative value.

The Keeper of the National History Museum Nigel Monaghan said rhino horn was the same material as hair or fingernails and had “no medicinal value whatsoever”. But he said it was “more than gold in value” for those who want it.

Gardaí said that at 10.40pm on Wednesday three masked men entered the massive storage facility and tied up the security man on duty. The raiders spent an hour locating the heads and then loaded them into a large white van, driven by a fourth man.

The security man freed himself and alerted gardaí just after midnight.

A spokesman for the museum said: “The stolen rhinoceros heads have a total of eight horns that have probably been taken to supply the illegal trade in powdered horn that is used in traditional medicines in the Far East. Their price is based on weight and the total amount stolen could have a street value in the region of €500,000.”

He added: “Rhinoceros horns have been taken from rhinos poached in the wild for many years and several species of rhino have been brought to the edge of extinction because of this.

“In recent years, thieves have turned to museums and private collections that include rhino taxidermy and artworks that include rhino horn. Many museums have taken rhinoceros horn off display as a result.”

- Anyone with information is asked to ring Swords Garda Station on 01 666 4700.

Lucrative trade

- Rhino horn is worth, on average, €60,000, per horn.

- Irish Traveller network, the Rathkeale Rovers, dominate the trade. Thirty members have been arrested under EU operation, co-named Oakleaf.

- €9 million of tax demands have been served on nine members to date.

- Rathkeale Rovers engage in other criminality across Europe: tarmac fraud, counterfeit products, robbery, money laundering, drug trafficking.