A CHINESE national has been sentenced to a year in prison for attempting to smuggle thousands of live queen garden ants out of Kenya.
The court in Nairobi on Wednesday also fined Zhang Kequn 1m Kenyan shillings (£5,713; $7,737). Judge Irene Gichobi described Zhang as not “entirely honest” and lacking in remorse.
Last month, he was charged with illegally dealing in wildlife species after being arrested at Nairobi’s main airport while attempting to travel to China with more than 2,000 ants in his luggage.
Kenyan authorities have warned of a growing demand for the ants in Europe and Asia, where they are prized by collectors. They can be worth around $220 (£170) each.
“There is need for a stiff deterrent sentence,” Judge Gichobi said, noting the “rising cases of dealing in large quantities of garden ants and the negative ecological side effects”.
After serving his year in prison, Zhang will be “referred to his home country”, she added.
He has 14 days to appeal against the sentence, which his lawyer says he will do.
He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges – including dealing in live wildlife – but later changed his plea to guilty.
Following Zhang’s arrest at Nairobi’s international airport on 10 March, the court heard he had bought the ants from Kenyan national Charles Mwangi at 10,000 Kenyan shillings (£58; $77) for every 100 of them.
Mwangi was also charged and is currently out on bail.
In May last year, a Kenyan court sentenced four men – two Belgians, a Vietnamese and a Kenyan – to one year in prison or a fine of $7,700 (£5,800) for trying to smuggle thousands of live queen ants out of the country.
The insects were reportedly destined for collectors in Europe and Asia.
