Kenyan, 3 Foreigners Caught Smuggling Live Ants Worth Ksh1 Million
The duo was caught red-handed with over 5,000 live queen ants stashed in 2,244 tubes — wildlife authorities estimate the black market value at Ksh 1 million
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
Four individuals — including two Belgians, a Vietnamese national, and a Kenyan — have pleaded guilty to charges related to the illegal possession and trafficking of live queen ants in Kenya.
In a bizarre case unfolding at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts, prosecutors Allen Mulama and Paula Rono told the court that Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx were apprehended on April 5 at Jane Guest House in the Lake View area of Naivasha, Nakuru County.
The duo was caught red-handed with over 5,000 live queen ants stashed in 2,244 tubes — wildlife authorities estimate the black market value at Ksh 1 million, according to a statement from the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).
Two Belgians were arraigned at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts on April 14, 2025. /ODPP
They now face charges of dealing in wildlife without a permit, contrary to Section 95(c) of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, Cap 376 of Kenyan law.
In a related crackdown, Vietnamese citizen Duh Hung Nguyen and Kenyan national Dennis Ng’ang’a were arrested for allegedly trading approximately 400 queen ants, valued at Ksh200,000.
Their operation reportedly ran between April 5 and 6, spanning two locations: Hemak Towers Suite in Nairobi’s CBD and Tofina Muthama Apartments in Syokimau.
All four appeared before Senior Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku on Monday, April 14, where they entered guilty pleas. The court has scheduled April 15 for the prosecution to present detailed facts and physical evidence.
The accused remains in custody at JKIA Police Station pending further proceedings.
Queen ants can fetch serious money— common types usually sell for Ksh 200 to Ksh 1,000, mid-range rare ones go for Ksh 1,500 to Ksh 5,000, and the most exotic or hard-to-capture queens can command prices as high as Ksh 6,000 to Ksh 15,000.
Smuggling queen ants is illegal under Kenya's Wildlife Conservation and Management Act 2013. This act, specifically Section 95(b), prohibits dealing in wildlife, including queen ants, without a permit. Individuals caught smuggling queen ants can face charges and penalties, including fines and imprisonment.
On June 13, 2023, authorities at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) intercepted a suspicious export package bound for France.
Although the package was declared as wooden sculptures or curios, further inspection revealed it was actually a covert shipment of siafu ants — a discovery that quickly drew the attention of the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI).
Digging deeper, investigators found that a similar shipment had been sent to China just five days earlier. That parcel was sent by Peter Ng’ang’a and received by Ri Jianyong. Meanwhile, yet another box was traced to a facility under the Postal Corporation of Kenya.
A joint operation involving KWS, DCI, and National Intelligence Service (NIS) operatives led to the arrest of Martin Nyota Ndung’u, his wife Rose Wairimu, and Eunice Muthoni, a staffer at PCK, in connection with the illicit trafficking network.
The trio appeared before JKIA Magistrate Njeri Thuku, where they were formally charged with the illegal trafficking of Messor cephalotes, a species of queen ant. All three denied the charges, paving the way for a legal battle expected to expose a deeper web of deceit behind the underground wildlife trade.
A photo of a person behind bars. /CNN
