Chinese national sentenced to one year for smuggling live queen ants out of Kenya

A Chinese national, Zhang Kequn, has been sentenced to one year in prison and fined 1 million Kenyan shillings for attempting to smuggle over 2,000 live queen garden ants out of Kenya.

The sentencing took place at a Nairobi court on April 15, 2026.

Zhang was arrested at Nairobi's main airport in March while trying to travel to China with the ants concealed in his luggage.

He initially pleaded not guilty but later changed his plea to guilty.

The court described Zhang as not "entirely honest" and lacking remorse.

Judge Irene Gichobi emphasized the need for a stiff deterrent sentence due to rising cases of dealing in large quantities of garden ants and the negative ecological side effects.

Kenyan authorities have warned of a growing demand for the ants in Europe and Asia, where they are prized by collectors.

Each queen garden ant can be worth around $220.

Zhang reportedly bought the ants from Kenyan national Charles Mwangi at 10,000 Kenyan shillings for every 100 ants.

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