The Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has asked the court to give a very harsh sentence to four men who pleaded guilty to illegally possessing more than 5,000 live queen garden ants, valued at Ksh 1.2 million that were being smuggled out of the country.
The four are Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, Vietnamese national Duh Hung Nguyen, and Kenyan national Dennis Ng’ang’a who have pleaded guilty to the charges.
The prosecution presented a detailed report from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), emphasizing the ecological and economic importance of the ants and the growing threat posed by the illegal trade in biological material.
According to the report, the ants were trafficked using custom-made test tubes produced in China. These devices are designed to evade airport scanners and can keep the ants alive for up to two months, making detection especially difficult.
KWS identified the case as part of a concerning trend in wildlife crime involving the smuggling of live insects like queen ants and praying mantises. Since 2019, authorities have intercepted similar shipments at JKIA and at courier depots in Nairobi, Gilgil, and Naivasha.
The court heard that traffickers disguise the ants by falsely declaring them as wooden carvings or toys. Locally, queen ants are sold to brokers for about Ksh 50 and resold for Ksh 150. However, in European markets, they can command prices between 60 and 100 Euros each (approximately Ksh 9,000 to Ksh 15,000), used largely for food and ornamental purposes.
The DPP also submitted a report from the National Museums of Kenya, written by a top entomologist, which detailed the crucial ecological roles ants play — including pest control, seed dispersal, soil health, nutrient cycling, and acting as indicators of environmental and climate health.
The entomologist warned that overharvesting queen ants could lead to their local extinction, disrupt ecosystems, reduce soil fertility, and potentially promote the spread of invasive species.
The court will be mentioned on May 7, 2025 for sentencing.
Keep reading for more updates from today’s court news.
