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Partner of gangster from America caught a slug? (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

mollusc

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'a slug?' is the definition.
(slug is a kind of mollusc)

'partner of gangster from america caught' is the wordplay.
'partner of gangster' becomes 'moll' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'from america' becomes 'US' (United States).
'caught' becomes 'c' (cricket abbreviation).
'moll'+'us'+'c'='MOLLUSC'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for mollusc that I've seen before include "Invertebrate such as a snail" , "sluggish person" , "Gastropod or cephalopod" , "Invertebrate with a soft unsegmented body, usually inside a shell" , "Shelled invertebrate" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.
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