Remainder of ‘Rathkeale Rovers’ gang jailed

The remainder of the Rathkeale Rovers criminal gang at the heart of a €70m conspiracy to “plunder” British museums of rhino horn and other priceless Chinese artifacts have been jailed for up to six and a half years.

The group, dubbed the Rathkeale Rovers because of their links to the Limerick town, targeted high-value objects in a string of break-ins, including Cambridge’s Fitzwilliam Museum and twice at Durham’s Oriental Museum in 2012.

Judge Murray Creed heard that although the items stolen in Durham and Cambridge were valued at up to €22m, detectives believe they might have fetched more than three times that figure on the booming Chinese auction market.