Chinese National and Kenyan Charged for Ant Trafficking

Nairobi, Kenya – A Chinese national and a Kenyan man faced charges in a Nairobi court on March 17 for illegally dealing in live wildlife after authorities intercepted more than 2,200 ants at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, highlighting a growing trend in the trafficking of small insect species.

Prosecutors accused Zhang Kequn, 37, and Charles Mwangi, 35, of possessing and trading the ants without required permits under Kenyan wildlife conservation laws. The case stems from Zhang's detention on March 10 at the airport, where immigration officials enforced a stop order on his passport. A search of his luggage revealed 1,948 live ants packed in specialized test tubes and an additional 300 concealed in rolls of tissue paper, according to court documents presented by prosecutor Allen Mulama.

Mwangi was arrested on March 16 following a police raid on his home in the Rift Valley, where officers recovered 1,000 unpackaged live ants, 113 ants stored in modified syringes, and 503 empty syringes. Investigators linked Mwangi to Zhang as the supplier, alleging he sold batches of ants for prices ranging from 100 to 10,000 Kenyan shillings per 100 insects, depending on the transaction....