A Chinese national has been apprehended at Kenya's primary airport on charges of attempting to smuggle over 2,000 queen garden ants out of the nation, according to the BBC.
Zhang Kequn was stopped during a security inspection at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi when officials found a significant shipment of live ants in his luggage destined for China.
He has not yet responded to the allegations, but investigators informed the court that he was associated with an ant-trafficking network that was dismantled in Kenya last year.
The trade of these ants is strictly regulated due to their protection under international biodiversity agreements.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) had previously alerted about an increasing demand for garden ants, scientifically known as Messor cephalotes, in Europe and Asia, where they are kept as pets.
A state prosecutor revealed in court that Zhang had packed some ants in test tubes, while others were hidden in rolls of tissue paper within his luggage.
"In his personal luggage, 1,948 garden ants were found packed in specialized test tubes," prosecutor Allen Mulama stated.
"Additionally, 300 live ants were discovered concealed in three rolls of tissue paper in the luggage," he added.
The prosecutor requested the court to permit a forensic examination of the suspect's electronic devices, including his phone and laptop.
Duncan Juma, a senior official from KWS, informed the BBC that more arrests are anticipated as investigators expand their inquiry into other Kenyan areas suspected of ongoing ant harvesting.
Last May, a Kenyan court sentenced four individuals to one year in prison or a fine of $7,700 (£5,800) for attempting to smuggle thousands of live queen ants out of the country, marking a first-of-its-kind case.
The four suspects, which included two Belgians, a Vietnamese, and a Kenyan, pleaded guilty after their arrest in what KWS described as "a coordinated, intelligence-led operation."
The Belgians claimed in court that they were collecting the highly coveted ants as a hobby and were unaware of the legality issues.
Investigators now assert that Zhang was the mastermind behind this trafficking operation but reportedly fled Kenya last year using a different passport.
On Wednesday, the court granted prosecutors permission to detain him for five days to allow detectives to carry out further investigations.
The KWS, typically focused on protecting larger animals like lions and elephants, referred to last year's ruling as a "landmark case."
The ants seized last year were giant African harvester ants, which KWS noted are ecologically significant, emphasizing that their removal from the ecosystem could harm soil health and biodiversity.
It is believed that the intended destinations for these ants were the exotic pet markets in Europe and Asia.
(Source: Vanguard Newspapers)
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