Kenyan authorities have arrested a Chinese national, Zhang Kequn, for allegedly attempting to smuggle thousands of live queen ants out of the country through the main airport in Nairobi.
The suspect was detained at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after security officers discovered a large number of ants hidden inside his luggage during routine screening before a flight to China.
Investigators said the ants, believed to be about 2,000 in number, were carefully concealed in different containers. Some were reportedly stored in test tubes while others were hidden inside rolls of tissue paper packed in the suspect’s baggage.
During a court session, prosecutor Allen Mulama said nearly 1,950 of the insects were found inside specially prepared tubes, while several hundred more were recovered from the tissue rolls.
The ants are identified as Messor cephalotes, commonly known as giant African harvester ants, a species protected under international biodiversity regulations due to its ecological importance.
Authorities believe the illegal shipment was intended for collectors in Europe and Asia, where such insects are sometimes kept as exotic pets.
Officials from the Kenya Wildlife Service said the arrest may be linked to a wider trafficking network involved in harvesting and exporting ants from different parts of the country.
Investigators have indicated that additional arrests could follow as the probe expands to other locations suspected of supplying the insects.
A senior KWS officer, Duncan Juma, said the removal of the species from the environment could harm local ecosystems because the ants contribute to soil health and biodiversity.
Prosecutors have also requested permission to examine Zhang’s phone and laptop to gather more evidence about the suspected smuggling operation.
The court granted authorities several days to keep the suspect in custody while investigations continue.
Kenyan authorities have previously prosecuted similar cases. In 2025, four men including two Belgian nationals, a Vietnamese citizen and a Kenyan were sentenced to one year in prison or ordered to pay fines after attempting to smuggle thousands of queen ants from the country in what officials described as a landmark wildlife trafficking case.
