The BBC reports that a Chinese national was arrested at Kenya’s main airport for attempting to smuggle over 2,000 queen garden ants out of the country.
Zhang Kequn was apprehended during a security check at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi after authorities discovered a large shipment of live ants in his luggage destined for China.
He has yet to respond to the allegations, but investigators testified in court that he was linked to an anti-trafficking network that was busted in Kenya last year.
The ants are protected by international biodiversity treaties, and their trade is heavily regulated.
Last year, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) warned of a growing demand for garden ants – scientifically known as Messor cephalotes – in Europe and Asia, where collectors keep them as pets.
A state prosecutor told the court on Wednesday, March 11, that Zhang had packed some ants in test tubes, while others were concealed in tissue paper rolls hidden in his luggage.
“Within his personal luggage there was found 1,948 garden ants packed in specialised test tubes,” prosecutor Allen Mulama told the court.
“A further 300 live ants were recovered concealed in three rolls of tissue paper within the luggage,” he added.
The prosecutor asked the court to allow the suspect’s phone and laptop to be forensically examined.
Duncan Juma, a senior KWS official, told the BBC that more arrests were expected as investigators widen their probe into other Kenyan towns where ant harvesting was suspected to be ongoing.
Last May, a Kenyan court sentenced four men to one year in prison or a fine of $7,700 (£5,800) for trying to smuggle thousands of live queen ants out of the country, in a first-of-its kind case.
The four suspects – two Belgians, a Vietnamese and a Kenyan – had pleaded guilty to the charges after their arrest in what the KWS described as “a coordinated, intelligence-led operation”.
The Belgians told the court that they were collecting the highly sought-after ants as a hobby and didn’t think it was illegal.