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BBC News
07-05-2025
- BBC News
Kenyan court sentences ant smugglers to $7,700 fine or one-year in prison
International gang sentenced for smuggling thousands of ants in Kenya Just now Share Save Share Save Reuters The four suspects – two Belgians, a Vietnamese and a Kenyan - had pleaded guilty A Kenyan court has sentenced four men to one year in prison or pay a fine of $7,700 (£5,800) for trying to smuggle thousands of live ants out of the country. The four suspects – two Belgians, a Vietnamese and a Kenyan – were arrested last month with 5,000 ants at a guest house in the western town of Naivasha. They had pleaded guilty to the charges and told the court that they were collecting the highly sought-after ants as a hobby and didn't think it was illegal. But delivering the sentence on Wednesday, the court said the particular species of ants collected was valuable and they had thousands of them — not just a few. It is believed that the ants were intended for exotic pet markets in Europe and Asia. The contraband included giant African harvester ants, which are valued by some UK dealers at up to £170 ($220) each. Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19, Vietnamese national Duh Hung Nguyen and Kenyan Dennis Ng'ang'a, were handed similar terms after the magistrate considered their mitigation arguments. The Belgians were found with 5,000 ants, while Nguyen and Ng'ang'a had 300. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), which is more used to protecting larger creatures, such as lions and elephants, has described this as a "landmark case". The case showed a "disturbing shift in trafficking patterns - from iconic mammals to lesser-known species that are vital to ecological balance", the KWS said last month when the four were arrested. The Belgian teens had entered Kenya on a tourist visa and were staying in Naivasha, a town popular with tourists for its animal parks and lakes. The KWS said the demand for rare insect species was growing. In Kenya, the ants are protected by international bio-diversity treaties and their trade is highly regulated. You may also be interested in: Getty Images/BBC Go to for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica
Straits Times
24-04-2025
- Straits Times
Kenya's ant smuggling bust exposes lucrative underground trade
Kenyan prosecutors have valued the seizures of queens taken from giant African harvester ant colonies at about 1.2 million Kenyan shillings (US$9,300 or S$12,237). PHOTO: REUTERS NAIROBI - Kenyan police who raided a national park guesthouse earlier this month aimed not to bust elephant tusk or rhino horn poachers but a more esoteric ring trading a much smaller, more lucrative item by weight - queen ants. Two Belgian teenagers - named by AFP as Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx - were arrested for wildlife trafficking at Jane Guesthouse in Naivasha on the edge of Hell's Gate National Park. They, along with a Vietnamese man - named by AFP as Duh Hung Nguyen - and a Kenyan national - named by AFP as Dennis Nganga - also accused of ant trafficking, pleaded guilty and will be sentenced on May 7, a magistrate said on April 23. Kenyan prosecutors have valued the seizures of queens taken from giant African harvester ant colonies at about 1.2 million Kenyan shillings (US$9,300 or S$12,237). Depending on the number and variety of each species found, however, Reuters calculated the haul would have been worth as much as US$1 million had it reached European shores. 'It's like cocaine,' said Dino Martins, director of the Turkana Basin Institute and one of Kenya's leading insect experts. 'The price of cocaine in Colombia versus getting a kilogram in the European market is such a big value addition, that's why people do it.' Based on the average cost of giant African harvester ants at six retailers in Britain, each of the roughly 5,440 queens seized at Nairobi airport according to court documents is worth around £175 (S$305.50). Ant aficionados pay large sums to maintain ant colonies in large transparent vessels known as formicariums, which provide insights into their intricate social structures and behaviours. But queen ants are vital for any colony as they are the only ones capable of laying eggs that grow into worker, soldier and future queen ants, meaning that trafficking can jeopardise colonies critical to Kenya's wildlife ecosystem. Belgium nationals David Lornoy and Seppe Lodewijckx appeared in a Kenyan court in Nairobi on April 23. With them is Vietnamese Duh Hung Nguyen (in mask) who was also accused of trafficking. PHOTO: REUTERS Mass death in transit Mr Martins said the retail value of the bug bust should be tempered by the expectation that as many as 90 per cent of them would likely have died in transit by traffickers to Europe and Asia from disease, bacteria and freezing temperatures. Nonetheless, the record seizures have raised questions about whether the attempted heist was a one-off by amateur enthusiasts, or a wider network of wildlife traffickers exploring new products and markets. Ant exports are permitted from Kenya with licenses, though the regulations are difficult to navigate, Mr Martins said. 'We are not criminals, we are 18 years old, we are naive, and I just want to go home to start my life,' one of the Belgian defendants, David Lornoy, said at the trial last week. The Kenya Wildlife Service, however, said the case signals a landmark shift in biopiracy trends from iconic large mammals to lesser-known species that are no less ecologically critical. 'This case represents far more than insect smuggling,' said Erustus Kanga, director general of KWS. 'We're seeing organised crime syndicates diversify from traditional ivory poaching to target our entire biodiversity - from medicinal plants, insects to micro-organisms.' Mr Samuel Mutua, a wildlife crime expert at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said the ant case qualifies as organised crime. 'Irrespective of their age, they were able to get a lot of ants,' he said. For Mr Martins, the furore over the case overlooks the greater threat to insects in East Africa posed by pesticides and habitat destruction that kill millions of ants every day. Harvester ants, whose industriousness is mentioned by King Solomon in the Bible, keep Kenya's iconic Rift Valley healthy by spreading and mixing grass seeds across the landscape, Mr Martins said. 'If we were to lose all the elephants in Africa, we would be devastated, but the grassland would continue. If we were to lose all the harvester ants and termites, the savannah would collapse.' REUTERS, AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Boston Globe
16-04-2025
- Boston Globe
Teens plead guilty to trafficking after being caught with 5,000 ants
They were found with around 5,000 live queen ants held in 2,244 tubes, which prosecutors said had a street value of 1 million Kenyan shillings (around $7,700). Advertisement Their hearing took place alongside a 'separate but related' case, according to prosecutors, in which a Vietnamese man and a Kenyan man also pleaded guilty to the charges. The men, identified by Kenyan authorities as Duh Hung Nguyen and Dennis Ng'ang'a, were charged with the illegal possession and trade of around 400 live queen ants, estimated to be worth 200,000 Kenyan shillings, or $1,500, according to prosecutors. The Belgian, Vietnamese, and Kenyan foreign ministries did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday. Information about the four men's legal representation was not immediately available. The prosecutor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The two Belgians told the magistrate during their hearing that they collected the ants for fun and were unaware their actions were illegal, The Associated Press reported. Advertisement 'We did not come here to break any laws. By accident and stupidity we did,' David said Tuesday, as he asked the court to show leniency, according to Reuters. The Kenya Wildlife Service, however, said that the way the ants were stored suggested a 'premeditated' act. 'Investigations revealed that the test tubes had been designed to sustain the ants for up to two months and evade airport security detection, including X-ray scanners,' the agency said. The cotton wool, it added, was used to 'maintain the ants' survival during transit, indicating a premeditated and well-executed trafficking operation.' 'The suspects entered Kenya on tourist visas and, according to intelligence reports, intended to smuggle the ants to high-value exotic pet markets in Europe and Asia, where the demand for rare insect species is rising,' the agency said. Messor cephalotes —a 'highly sought-after' species — were among the ants recovered, the agency added. The insects, also known as the giant African harvester ant, 'are prized by collectors for their unique behaviour, complex colony-building capabilities, and greenhouse pest control,' the agency said. The agency added that the 'unprecedented case signals a shift in trafficking trends' in Kenya. According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare, a nonprofit organization, rhino horn, ivory, and pangolins are among the most trafficked items and animals across Kenya and neighboring Tanzania. According to Ants HQ and AntsRUs, two British ant sellers, queen ants of the Messor cephalotes species measure up to almost one inch in length. They are mostly found in East Africa and are rarely sold because they are 'very hard for retailers to source,' Ants R Us added. While those ants are not for sale on the two websites, they are listed at 99 pounds and 169.99 pounds ($131 and $226), respectively. Advertisement
