Two men arrested for smuggling hundreds of queen garden ant specimens out
On March 18th authorities charged Zhang Kequn from the People's Republic of China and his Kenyan associate Charles Mwangi with illegally dealing in wildlife after they were caught attempting to smuggle over two thousand live queen garden ants out of Kenya into Asia, where officials have noted a growing trend toward trafficking such insects for markets.
Key Points
-
1A Chinese national named Zhang Kequn has been charged alongside his Kenyan associate, Charles Mwangi.
-
2The two men were arrested after authorities found them in possession of approximately between 1,948 and over 2,000 live queen garden ants while attempting to smuggle the insects out of Kenya into Europe or Asia markets. They appeared before a Nairobi court on Tuesday for these charges related to illegally dealing in wildlife.
-
3Kenyan authorities have noted an increasing trend regarding ant trafficking recently.
Developments
Zhang Kequn (60) was arrested for smuggling 1948 garden ants from Kenya to Europe or Asia. The suspects were charged with conspiracy after authorities found them possessing the insects without required permits under Kenyan wildlife conservation laws. They are currently in custody while awaiting trial on charges of trafficking and illegal export, which officials say undermines local biodiversity rights despite their claim they did not know it was a crime until later discovered by law enforcement
Two men from China, Zhang Kequn (a Chinese national), Kenya Charles Mwangi have been criminally accused for illegally dealing with wildlife. They are charged under Kenyan law because the authorities found them in possession of 2048 live garden ants without required permits to trade or handle such species