AN Irish man has pleaded guilty to smuggling a cup made of endangered rhino horn from the United States to London.
Michael Hegarty, 40, faces up to a decade in prison for fraudulently facilitating the transportation and concealment of a ‘libation cup’ carved from the horn of an Indian rhinoceros.
The 40-year-old will be sentenced in Florida next month.
He faces a maximum penalty of up to ten years in jail, followed by a term of supervised release of up to three years, as well a maximum fine of $250,000 (£188,500), being double the market value.
Lucrative illegal rhino horns have been known to fetch as much as $45,000 (£35,000) per pound on the black market.
Hegarty, along with Richard Sheridan – a spokesman for the illegal traveller camp in Dale Farm in Essex – is alleged to have flown to Miami from London in April 2012 to convince a US resident to purchase the horn from an auction house in North Carolina.
They told the buyer they could repair the cup to enhance its value if they sent it to their associates in Britain.
The individual wired $57,500 (£43,350) from a US bank account to the auction house and Hegarty arranged to have the horn delivered to Florida.
An associate of Hegarty then smuggled the cup to London in his luggage without declaring it, where they were arrested along with two other Irishmen.
Hegarty was arrested through an INTERPOL Red Notice and extradited back to the US from Belgium.
His associate Mr Sheridan was convicted on unrelated charges in England, where he remains in prison, and is still wanted in Florida on wildlife trafficking chrges.
“Trafficking in endangered and threatened species is illegal,” Acting United States Attorney Benjamin Greenberg said in a statement.
“Together with our law enforcement partners, we will strictly enforce the laws that protect our environment and our wildlife.
“The international community strongly supports these enforcement efforts and is capable of finding and holding accountable these criminals wherever they attempt to hide.”
Ed Grace, Acting Assistant Director of Law Enforcement for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, said the illegal trade in rhino horns could bring a tragic end to the species.
“By trafficking in wildlife products, such as items made from a rhinoceros horn, smugglers are fuelling the illegal trade in endangered wildlife, which may ultimately lead to the species extinction,” said Mr Grace.
“I am proud of our special agents who exposed this complex, international scheme that spanned many international borders.
“This case showed the direct link between wildlife trafficking and transnational organized crime and reinforced our commitment to continue working with US and international partners to pursue these criminals who profit from the illegal trade in wildlife.”
