Man Busted Trying to Smuggle 2K Queen Ants
Kenyan officials display live queen ants that were destined for Europe and Asia, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday, April 14, 2025. (Kenya Wildlife Service via AP)
Kenyan officials say they have stopped a suspected repeat trafficker connected to the growing illegal trade in live queen ants. Authorities arrested 27-year-old Chinese citizen Zhang Kequn at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport after security screening allegedly revealed thousands of live ants in his luggage on a flight headed to China.
According to prosecutors, investigators discovered 1,948 garden ants stored in specially prepared test tubes inside Zhang’s bags. Another 300 live ants were reportedly hidden inside three rolls of toilet paper in the same luggage. The ants are identified as the species Messor cephalotes, which is protected under international biodiversity regulations and has become sought after by collectors in parts of Europe and Asia.
Authorities believe Zhang may have been involved in the illegal trade before. Reports indicate that he left Kenya last year, but officials placed a stop order on his passport to prevent him from leaving the country again. Investigators say he may be connected to a trafficking operation that was broken up last year and suspect he played a leading role in that network.
A court has allowed prosecutors to hold Zhang for five days while investigators examine his phone and laptop and continue looking into other possible ant-harvesting operations across Kenya.
The case comes after a separate prosecution in 2023 involving four men from Belgium, Vietnam, and Kenya. Those individuals were convicted for attempting to smuggle thousands of queen ants intended for exotic pet markets. Kenya’s wildlife agency described that ruling as a significant step in its efforts to protect wildlife, including lesser-known species such as insects.
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