You would probably dismiss them as creepy annoying insects, but four men who pleaded guilty before a court at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) see them as a gold mine.
The first-of-its kind case that smoked out the illegal trafficking of garden ants –scientifically known as Messor cephalotes, adds to the intricate web of Kenya’s biopiracy.
The four men—two Belgian nationals, a Vietnamese national, and a Kenyan citizen—were charged with illegal possession and trafficking of live wildlife before Senior Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku at the JKIA Law Courts in Nairobi.
The arrests were made after authorities seized live queen ants concealed in specially modified test tubes and syringes.
The suspects owned up to the crime on Monday morning.
The insects, sometimes referred to as the Giant African Harvesters, are native in Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia.
“The unauthorised collection and export of Messor cephalotes not only undermines Kenya’s sovereign rights over its biodiversity but also deprives local communities and research institutions of potential ecological and economic benefits,” says a statement from the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS).
“This case highlights a growing global threat: the biopiracy of native species. Biopiracy refers to the commercial exploitation or export of biological materials—such as plants, animals, and microorganisms—without fair compensation or benefit-sharing with the country of origin,” they add.
KWS now worries that illegal trafficking trends are shifting from easily noticeable mammals to smaller species.
The prosecutor was, however, granted time to review a report from the National Museums of Kenya so as to prepare a report with accurate figures on the test tubes that were used to store the ants.
KWS says the suspects breached both local and international laws.
“This case not only marks a serious wildlife crime but also constitutes biopiracy as it involves the unlawful access and attempted export of Kenya’s genetic resources without prior informed consent or benefit-sharing, in direct violation of national law and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing,” explains a statement from the KWS.
The Nagoya Protocol was adopted in 2010 during the tenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Nagoya, Japan.
Kenya became a party to the Nagoya protocol in 2014.
“Investigations revealed that the test tubes had been designed to sustain the ants for up to two months and evade airport security detection, including X-ray scanners. Cotton wool was used to maintain the ants’ survival during transit, indicating a premeditated and well-executed trafficking operation,” explains KWS.
According to KWS, Intelligence reports indicate that the non-Kenyan suspects entered the country on tourist visas with an intention to smuggle the ants to high-value exotic pet markets in Europe and Asia, where demand for rare insect species is rising.
The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) defines exotic pets as any wild, non-domesticated animal that’s kept as a pet.
They acknowledge that there’s evidence that wildlife trafficking is a booming business but it is mostly illegal.
“Many countries and local jurisdictions have laws banning certain types of animals as pets, but ultimately, wild animals should never be kept in captivity as pets,” shows an explainer on exotic animals on IFAWs website.
“No matter what your country allows you to own, buying an exotic pet could be fueling an illegal business,” they add.
On one of the websites -- antderground.com, a queen ant of the garden ant species is sold at a discounted price of 180 euros (about $203).
The website describes the characteristics such as physical characteristics, geographical distribution, behaviour and conservation status to show whether they fall in the category of endangered species.
At the time of our search, the queen ants were sold out.
Another website - antrus.com, also had the ants out of stock, but it cost about 99 euros ($101).
The KWS explained that the intercepted ants, particularly the highly sought-after Messor cephalotes, are prized by collectors for their unique behaviour and complex colony-building capabilities. These traits make them popular in formicariums—artificial ant nest.
KWS is now calling for heightened surveillance at airports and exit points, including advanced scanning technologies to detect concealed wildlife.
They say that the public needs to be away from such illegal activities and report them and they ask global partners to help people understand the global demand and ecological effects of taking species illegally from their habitat.
The case was deferred to April 15, 2025.
The four will remain in custody and are to be detained at JKIA Police Station until the next court appearance.
