---
title: "Kenya court convicts four ant traffickers, fines each $7,700"
description: "NAIROBI, May 7 (Reuters) - A Kenyan court on Wednesday fined four men $7,700 each for attempting to traffic thousands of ants out of the country, in a case that wildlife experts say signals a shift in biopiracy from iconic animals like elephants to lesser-known species."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-05-07-kenya-court-convicts-four-ant-traffickers-fines-each-7700/"
published: "2025-05-07T12:11:29"
updated: "2025-05-07T12:11:31"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 117
---

# Kenya court convicts four ant traffickers, fines each $7,700

> NAIROBI, May 7 (Reuters) - A Kenyan court on Wednesday fined four men $7,700 each for attempting to traffic thousands of ants out of the country, in a case that wildlife experts say signals a shift in biopiracy from iconic animals like elephants to lesser-known species.

By Reuters · Published 7 May 2025, 14:11 SAST · Updated 7 May 2025, 14:11 SAST

## Key points
- In a bizarre twist of fate, Belgian teens and their international accomplices learned the hard way that smuggling nearly 5,440 giant African harvester ant queens could land them in hot water—or a year behind bars—after prosecutors valued their insect haul at a staggering $1 million on the European black market.
- Four individuals, including two Belgian teens, were arrested in Kenya for attempting to smuggle 5,440 giant African harvester ant queens.
- The haul is valued at approximately 1.2 million Kenyan shillings ($9,300) by local prosecutors.
- If successfully transported to Europe, the ants could have fetched up to $1 million, given the demand among ant keepers.
- All accused pleaded guilty; they face fines or 12 months in jail as ordered by Magistrate Njeri Thuku.

## Content

Authorities arrested two Belgian teenagers, a Vietnamese man and a Kenyan national on April 5, accusing them of trying to smuggle roughly 5,440 giant African harvester ant queens, which Kenyan prosecutors valued at around 1.2 million Kenyan shillings ($9,300).

However, retail prices in the UK suggest the haul may have fetched as much as $1 million if it had reached [European shores](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL4N3R00B6&linkedFromStory=true), where ant keepers maintain colonies in large transparent vessels known as formicariums to observe their cooperative behaviour.

Magistrate Njeri Thuku ordered the traffickers, who all pleaded guilty, to pay the fine or face 12 months in jail.

(Reporting by Humphrey Malalo and Monicah Mwangi; Writing by Hereward Holland; Editing by Toby Chopra, Aidan Lewis)