A Chinese national, Zhang Kequn, has been sentenced in Kenya to one year in prison and fined one million Kenyan shillings (€7,700) for smuggling ants.
Kequn is linked to two teenagers from Mol who were convicted last year for attempting to smuggle 5,000 ants out of Kenya. While the teenagers faced legal action at that time, Kequn evaded capture – until recently.
Kenyan authorities arrested him on 10 March at Nairobi’s international airport as he tried to board a flight to China. He was carrying 2,200 ants, including nearly 2,000 rare Messor cephalotes ants.
These ants are highly sought after, with collectors often paying hundreds of euros for queen ants and their colonies, frequently kept as pets. Smuggling ants from Kenya to China, the Americas, or Europe is a lucrative business.
Kequn was charged with illegal wildlife trade, known as biopiracy, and conspiracy to commit a crime. After the conspiracy charges were dropped, he pleaded guilty.
However, Judge Irene Gichobi, presiding over the case in Nairobi, noted that Kequn showed little remorse and came across as insincere.
In addition to his prison sentence, Kequn faces the same one-million-shilling fine imposed on the Mol teenagers. The judge described the punishment as “necessary” given the severity of the offence.
She highlighted the growing problem of ant smuggling, the ecological damage it causes, and the scale of ongoing trafficking operations.
