US Edition2 Men Found with Hundreds of Ants Are Charged with Illegally Dealing in Wildlife in Kenya
Charles Mwangi and Zhang Kequn face charges for trafficking over 2,600 live garden ants, linked to shipments seized in Kenya and Bangkok, as authorities crack down on wildlife crimes.
- On Tuesday, a Nairobi court charged Zhang Kequn, 27, Chinese national, and Charles Mwangi with transporting wildlife illegally after Zhang was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport last week.
- Prosecutors allege Charles Mwangi supplied live ants to foreign traffickers and handled the species without permits required under Kenya's wildlife conservation laws.
- Evidence presented included CCTV footage from Moonlight Hotel in Nakuru showing Mwangi supplying ants to Zhang on 5th March 2026, and recovered items: 1,000 unpackaged live garden ants, 113 live ants in modified syringes, and 503 empty syringes.
- The court ordered both men remanded in custody pending further directions, with a remand date set for March 27; Mwangi was detained at Langata police station for three days and both suspects remain in custody.
- The case highlights a growing trend of smuggling ants to European and Asian markets, with Kenyan authorities valuing the seized insects at 1 million shillings .
11 Articles
11 Articles
Floyd Chronicle & Times
Two men in Kenyan court for ant-smuggling
Two men appeared in a Nairobi court on Tuesday accused of attempting to smuggle thousands of ants to China, a lucrative trade exposed last year in the east African country.
The Straits Times
Kenyan court charges two men including Chinese citizen with smuggling live ants
NAIROBI, March 17 - A court in Kenya on Tuesday charged two men with transporting wildlife illegally after one of them, a Chinese national, was arrested at Nairobi's Jomo Kenyatta International Airport with more than 2,000 live ants last week. Read more at straitstimes.com.
DPP Arraigns Man for Supplying Live Garden Ants to Foreigners
NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 17 – The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has arraigned Charles Mwangi, accused of supplying live garden ants to foreigners. Mwangi appeared at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) court after police recovered 1,000 unpackaged live garden ants, 113 live ants packaged in modified syringes, and 503 empty syringes from his residence. Prosecution lawyers John Tago and Mercy Katsivo revealed that CCTV footage from Mo…
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