Chinese National and Kenyan Charged with Smuggling Over 3,300 Live Ants at JKIA
A 37-year-old Chinese national identified as Zhang Kequn and a 35-year-old Kenyan man, Charles Mwangi, appeared in court on March 17, 2026, facing serious charges related to the illegal trade of live wildlife. The duo was arrested after authorities discovered thousands of ants being smuggled without the required permits, highlighting a bizarre but sophisticated attempt to traffic these insects out of the country.
The pair was caught with a total of more than 3,300 ants. On March 10 at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, they were found in possession of 1,948 garden ants carefully packed in specialised tubes and another 300 live ants hidden inside three rolls of tissue paper. Just three days later on March 13, Mwangi was intercepted again in Gilgil town with 1,000 live ants stored in a pink basin, plus 113 garden ants kept in specialised syringes and 503 empty syringes in a white sack. Investigations showed that Kequn had been buying the ants from Mwangi at Ksh 100 each, with payments of Ksh 60,000 for 600 ants and Ksh 70,000 for another 700 ants.
Both suspects denied the charges of dealing in live wildlife species without permits and conspiracy to commit a felony when they appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi at the JKIA Law Courts. The prosecution strongly opposed bail for the Chinese national, arguing he poses a flight risk since he entered Kenya on a tourist visa on February 27 and has no fixed address in the country. No bond was granted for Kequn. The case has been scheduled for mention on March 27, 2026, as investigations continue into this unusual wildlife smuggling racket.
