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Two Men Charged in Kenya for Illegal Ant Smuggling Operation

Tuesday, March 17, 2026 at 8:23 AM

A Kenyan court has filed charges against two individuals, including a Chinese national, for illegally trafficking live ants. The Chinese man was caught at Nairobi's airport with over 2,000 live ants, while his alleged Kenyan accomplice is accused of supplying the insects to international smugglers.

NAIROBI – Two individuals faced formal charges in a Kenyan courtroom Tuesday for allegedly operating an illegal wildlife trafficking scheme involving thousands of live ants.

Zhang Kequn, a 27-year-old Chinese national, was apprehended at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport last Tuesday as he tried to board an outbound flight carrying more than 2,000 living ants, according to court records. Immigration authorities had previously placed a stop order on his passport following his successful evasion of arrest in Kenya the previous year.

A second defendant, Charles Mwangi, was brought before the court Monday on accusations of providing live ants to international smuggling networks. Officials connected Mwangi to an ant shipment that authorities intercepted in Bangkok on March 10, which had been sent from Kenya’s coastal city of Mombasa.

Both Zhang and Mwangi entered not guilty pleas before Senior Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi on charges that include handling protected wildlife species without proper authorization. The magistrate ordered both defendants to remain in jail custody while the case proceeds, with the next court appearance scheduled for March 27.

Collectors who keep ant colonies as a hobby often pay substantial amounts to house them in large glass containers called formicariums, which allow observation of the insects’ intricate social behaviors and organizational systems.

This case follows a similar prosecution last year where four individuals each received $7,700 fines for attempting to smuggle thousands of ants that play important roles in Kenya’s natural environment. Wildlife protection experts noted that such cases represent a shift in illegal animal trade from high-profile targets like elephant tusks to less conspicuous species.

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