Two men have appeared before a court in Nairobi over allegations of attempting to smuggle thousands of ants to China in a wildlife trafficking case that has drawn renewed attention to the growing illegal trade in rare insect species.
One of the suspects, Chinese national Zhang Kequn, was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after authorities discovered more than 2,200 live ants in his luggage.
According to court documents, the consignment included 1,948 specimens of Messor cephalotes, a highly sought-after ant species valued in international exotic pet and collector markets.
Defence counsel David Lusweti Namai told the court that the insects are traded abroad for various purposes, including as exotic pets, delicacies, and in some markets for claimed aphrodisiac value.
The Messor cephalotes species is considered especially valuable, with individual ants reportedly fetching up to $100 each on foreign markets.
Kenyan Co-Accused Linked to Local Supply
Zhang, identified in court records as being born in 1998, appeared alongside Kenyan national Charles Mwangi, 35, who is accused of supplying him with 1,300 ants at a price of 100 Kenyan shillings each.
Mwangi was arrested on March 13 in Kenya’s Rift Valley region, where authorities allegedly found 1,000 live ants of another species and 113 Messor cephalotes ants concealed inside syringes.
Investigators also allege that Mwangi previously sold ants to three individuals convicted in a related wildlife trafficking case last year.
Linked to Earlier Convictions
That earlier case involved two Belgian teenagers who were arrested in Kenya while attempting to transport nearly 5,000 ants, most of them stored in test tubes. The pair were later fined approximately $7,700.
Charges and Next Hearing
Both defendants pleaded not guilty to charges of wildlife trafficking without a permit and conspiracy.
Under Kenyan law, the offences carry a possible prison sentence of up to seven years if convicted.
The court adjourned proceedings until March 27, when the matter will come up for further hearing.
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