NAIROBI, Kenya – Four individuals, including three foreigners, appeared in a Kenyan court on Wednesday, accused of attempting to smuggle thousands of live ants out of the country.
The defendants are facing serious charges under Kenya’s wildlife protection laws, which make it a criminal offense to possess or traffic any wildlife specimen without the necessary permits.
Among the accused are Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 18-year-old Belgians, who were arrested in Nakuru County, about 160 kilometers from the capital Nairobi.
The two were found in possession of 5,000 queen ants, which were packed in 2,244 tubes.
In a separate case, Duh Hung Nguyen from Vietnam and Kenyan national Dennis Nganga were also arrested.
The pair was found with ants stored in 140 syringes packed with cotton wool, along with two additional containers.
The insects seized included the Messor cephalotes species, an ecologically significant type of ant native to the region.
Investigators noted that the storage system would allow the ants to survive for up to two months during transport.
Police estimate the street value of the ants to be around $7,700.
David and Lodewijckx pleaded guilty last week to possession of the ants but denied the charge of trafficking, according to their lawyer, Halima Magairo.
“These are just young kids… they’re just exploring, and you can’t really blame them for exploring,” Magairo said after the latest hearing.
Nguyen and Nganga also pleaded guilty to possession of the ants. All four defendants are scheduled to be sentenced on May 7.
The case, brought forward by the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), has sparked concern over wildlife crime and bio-piracy.
The KWS stated that the suspects intended to smuggle the ants to high-value exotic pet markets in Europe and Asia, where the demand for rare insect species is growing.
Under Kenyan law, possession of any wildlife specimen or trophy without a permit is punishable by a fine of around $10,000 and a minimum of five years in prison.
