Ant smuggler sentenced to a year in jail by Kenyan court

[cbabe]

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/15/ant-smuggler-sentenced-to-a-year-in-jail-by-kenyan-court

Ant smuggler sentenced to a year in jail by Kenyan court

More than 2,200 ants were found in Zhang Kequn’s luggage at Nairobi airport, with baggage destined for China

Agence France-Presse
Wed 15 Apr 2026 10.07 EDT

A Chinese national has been sentenced to a year in prison and fined by a Nairobi court for attempting to smuggle thousands of ants out of Kenya, a lucrative trade in east Africa that was exposed last year.

The insects are mostly destined for China, the US and Europe, where they become pets and can be worth about $100 each.

…

At the court in Nairobi, the judge, Irene Gichobi, described Zhang as lacking in remorse and “not an entirely honest person”.

… more …

[underpants]

1. $100 for an ant? 🙄

More than 2,200 ants – including 1,948 prized Messor cephalotes – were found in test tubes in Zhang’s luggage at Nairobi’s international airport that was destined for China.

[SheltieLover]

2. Maybe they saddle them and ride them in parades?