Overview

• Two 19-year-old Belgian teenagers were arrested in Nakuru County, Kenya, on April 5, 2025, with 5,000 ants concealed in 2,244 test tubes and syringes designed to evade airport security.
• The teens appeared in a Nairobi court on April 16, where they pleaded guilty but claimed they collected the ants for fun and were unaware their actions were illegal.
• Kenyan authorities have also detained a Kenyan and a Vietnamese national in Nairobi for possessing 400 ants, as investigations into broader insect smuggling networks continue.
• The ants seized include Messor cephalotes, a red-hued harvester species native to East Africa, valued for its popularity in exotic pet markets and ecological importance.
• Kenya Wildlife Service highlights a growing trend of wildlife trafficking shifting from iconic large mammals to smaller species, raising ecological and health concerns.