A Kenyan court on Wednesday sentenced a Chinese national named Zhang Kequn to one year in prison and ordered him to pay a fine of 1 million Kenya shillings for attempting to smuggle live queen garden ants (fertile ants capable of starting new colonies) out of Kenya.
Kenyan authorities arrested Kequn at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport more than a month ago while he was trying to travel to China with more than 2,000 ants in his luggage. Authorities accused him of illegally trafficking wildlife species.
Live garden queen ants have a huge market in Europe and Asia and could be worth up to $220 each.
According to court documents, the defendant purchased the ants from a Kenyan citizen, Charles Mwangi, for $77 per 100 of them. Mwangi was also arrested and charged; However, he is not currently detained and is free on bail.
Kequn previously pleaded not guilty to the charges, but later changed his plea to guilty. Judge Irene Gichobi announced the verdict, calling the alleged smuggler “not entirely honest” and adding: “A harsh and dissuasive sentence is necessary.”
After serving his sentence and paying the fine, Kequn will be deported to his country of origin, China. You have two weeks to appeal the decision.
Live garden queen ants are primarily purchased to start a new ant colony (formicaria) for educational, hobby or research purposes.
They are popular because a single fertile queen can produce thousands of workers, providing a quiet, low-maintenance, long-term pet.
