Chinese national accused of smuggling ants out of Kenya convicted
Zhang Kequn, a Chinese national, was on Wednesday handed a one-year prison sentence for attempting to smuggle thousands of live queen garden ants out of Kenya.
Besides his conviction, Kequn was also fined 1 million Kenyan shillings ($7,737) by the court in the East African nation’s capital city of Nairobi, BBC reported. Judge Irene Gichobi stated that Kequn was not “entirely honest” and unremorseful.
Authorities arrested Kequn at Nairobi’s international airport on March 10 as he attempted to smuggle over 2,000 live queen garden ants out of the East African country. The highly sought-after insects were found in his luggage, and he was traveling to China at the time of his arrest. Kequn was ultimately charged with illegally dealing in wildlife species.
Authorities in Kenya say that the ants are sold to collectors in Europe and Asia, and the demand for them continues to rise. A single ant can be valued at $220.
“There is need for a stiff deterrent sentence,” Judge Gichobi said. She also made mention of the “rising cases of dealing in large quantities of garden ants and the negative ecological side effects.”
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The judge stated that Kequn will be “referred to his home country” after he completes his sentence. The convicted Chinese national’s lawyer said that his client’s conviction will be appealed. Kequn has 14 days to do that.
Kequn faced charges including dealing in live wildlife. He ultimately entered a guilty plea after initially pleading not guilty to the charges.
In the wake of his arrest, the court was notified that a Kenyan national, identified as Charles Mwangi, sold the ants to Kequn in 100 bundles that cost 10,000 Kenyan shillings ($77) each, BBC reported.
Mwangi was similarly arrested and charged, but he was released on bail.
Kequn’s conviction came after two Belgians, a Vietnamese national, and a Kenyan were convicted after they similarly attempted to smuggle thousands of live queen ants out of Kenya. The four men were sentenced to one year in prison or a fine of $7,700.
