Irishman pleads guilty over rhino horn sale in US

An Irishman linked to a criminal clan has pleaded guilty to charges he used forged documents to sell horns from endangered black rhinos to a New York collector for more than €35,000.

Michael Slattery wept, rubbed his face, and waved his arms before entering the plea in federal court in Manhattan, prompting US district judge John Gleeson to comment: “You look like a nervous wreck.”

Slattery, aged 23, told the judge he barely knew how to read but understood the trafficking charges.