Four men — two Belgians, a Vietnamese national, and a Kenyan — pleaded guilty on Tuesday to charges of illegally trafficking live queen ants out of Kenya. The suspects were arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi with dozens of live giant African harvester ants, a species protected under international biodiversity laws. Kenyan authorities say the insects, prized in the global exotic pet trade, were meticulously concealed in modified test tubes and syringes filled with cotton wool, allowing them to survive for up to two months. A single queen ant can reportedly sell for up to $200 on the black market, making them highly lucrative targets for wildlife smugglers.
The group is scheduled to be sentenced on April 23. Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) called the case a “landmark trial” and a wake-up call about the growing threat of biopiracy, where foreign interests exploit native species for profit without local consent or benefit. The ants, native to Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia, play a vital role in their ecosystems and are protected under the Convention on Biological Diversity and national wildlife laws.
Officials say the case could set a precedent in the fight against the illegal trade in insects and microfauna, a lesser-known but rapidly growing branch of wildlife crime.
