Chinese National Arrested After Attempt To Smuggle 2,000 queen ants

A 27-year-old Chinese national has been arrested in Nairobi after authorities discovered more than 2,200 live garden ants concealed in his luggage at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

Zhang Kequn was intercepted Tuesday while attempting to leave Kenya. According to court filings, immigration officials had placed a stop order on his passport after he allegedly evaded arrest in the country last year.

Prosecutors told the court that 1,948 ants were packed in specialised test tubes, while another 300 were hidden inside tissue paper rolls in his suitcase. The insects — identified as Messor cephalotes, commonly known as giant African harvester ants, are protected under international biodiversity agreements, and their trade is strictly regulated.

Authorities allege Zhang is linked to an ant-trafficking network dismantled in Kenya last year. Investigators are seeking to examine his phone and laptop as part of the probe.

The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) has warned of growing demand for the ants in Europe and Asia, where collectors keep them as exotic pets. Officials say additional arrests are expected as investigations expand into suspected harvesting operations in other towns.

Last year, four men (two Belgians, a Vietnamese national and a Kenyan) were sentenced in what KWS described as a landmark case involving the attempted smuggling of thousands of live queen ants.