- Four men sentenced to one year in prison or a fine of $7,700 for attempting to smuggle live queen ants
- They include two Belgians, a Vietnamese, and a Kenyan, were caught with thousands of valuable ants destined for European and Asian collectors
- Magistrate emphasizes the ecological importance of the ants and warns against illegal wildlife trade
A Kenyan court has sentenced four individuals to either one year in prison or a fine of $7,700 (£5,800) for attempting to smuggle thousands of live queen ants out of the country.
The four suspects – two Belgians, a Vietnamese, and a Kenyan – were arrested last month with live ants suspected to be intended for collectors in Europe and Asia.
The four suspects sentenced
The defendants pleaded guilty, with the Belgians claiming they were collecting the highly sought-after ants as a hobby and didn’t realize it was illegal.
In her ruling on Wednesday, Magistrate Njeri Thuku pointed out that the species of ants in question were highly valuable and the suspects had thousands of them, not just a few.
“While collecting a few ants might be seen as a hobby, possessing 5,000 queen ants goes far beyond that,” said Magistrate Thuku. “The world has already lost many species due to greed, and it’s time to stop this trend.”
She added, “This court will do everything it can to protect all creatures, big and small.”
Among the smuggled ants were giant African harvester ants, which some UK dealers value at up to £170 ($220) each. The four men, Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx (both 19), Vietnamese national Duh Hung Nguyen, and Kenyan Dennis Ng’ang’a, were each given similar sentences after the court considered their mitigation arguments.
The Belgians were found with 5,000 ants, while the others had over 300 ants in their apartments. The ants were packed in more than 2,000 test tubes filled with cotton wool to help them survive for months.
The Belgian teens had entered Kenya on tourist visas and were staying in Naivasha, a popular tourist town. Nguyen, 23, was described by the court as a “mule or courier” as he was sent to collect the ants and his ticket was paid for by someone else. The court said Ng’ang’a, 26, acted as a “broker” due to his knowledge of where the ants could be found in his rural home.
In sentencing Nguyen and Ng’ang’a, the magistrate called their actions part of the “illegal wildlife trade and possibly bio-piracy.”
David, a passionate ant collector with 10 colonies at home in Belgium, was part of a Facebook group called “Ant Gang.” The court heard that he had purchased 2,500 queen ants for $200 before being arrested while searching for more.
David pleaded for leniency, expressing regret and claiming he didn’t know his actions were illegal. Lodewijckx explained he had only wanted to buy the ants for his entomology interest and didn’t intend to traffic them.
The court ruled that the three foreigners would be repatriated to their home countries after paying the fine or completing their prison terms. They have 14 days to appeal the verdict.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) praised the ruling, calling it a “testament to Kenya’s zero-tolerance stance on wildlife trafficking.” The KWS also stressed the importance of the giant African harvester ants, noting their removal could disrupt soil health and biodiversity.
The agency warned that while larger animals like lions and elephants are typically the focus of conservation efforts, the growing demand for rare insect species also threatens ecosystems. The KWS emphasized that Kenya would continue to pursue and prosecute those involved in the illegal wildlife trade, no matter the species involved.
In Kenya, the trade of these ants is highly regulated and protected by international biodiversity treaties.
