A Chinese national has been arrested at Kenya's main airport, accused of trying to smuggle more than 2,000 "queen ants" out of the country.
Zhang Kequn was caught during a security check at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in the capital Nairobi after authorities discovered a large shipment of live ants in his luggage bound for China, writes BBC, the Telegraph reports.
He has not yet responded to the charge, but investigators told the court that he was linked to an ant trafficking ring that was dismantled in Kenya last year.
Ants are protected by international biodiversity treaties and their trade is highly regulated.
Last year, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) warned of a growing demand for garden ants - scientifically known as Messor's cephalotes - in Europe and Asia, where collectors keep them as pets.
A state prosecutor told the court on Wednesday that Zhang had packaged some ants in test tubes, while others were hidden in rolls of paper hidden in his luggage.
"Inside his personal luggage were found 1,948 garden ants packed in specialized tubes," prosecutor Allen Mulama told the court.
"Another 300 live ants were found hidden in three rolls of toilet paper inside the luggage," he added.
The prosecutor asked the court to allow the suspect's electronic devices - his phone and laptop - to be forensically examined.
Duncan Juma, a senior KWS official, told the BBC that more arrests are expected as investigators expand their probe to other Kenyan towns where ant harvesting is suspected to be ongoing.
Last May, a Kenyan court sentenced four men to one year in prison or a fine of $7,700 (around 6,700 euros) for trying to smuggle thousands of live queen ants out of the country, in a first-of-its-kind case.
The four suspects - two Belgians, a Vietnamese and a Kenyan - had pleaded guilty to the charges following their arrest in what KWS described as "a coordinated, intelligence-led operation".
The Belgians told the court they were collecting the highly sought-after ants as a hobby and did not think it was illegal.Telegrafi/
