Oecophylla longinoda is an ant tree species found in tropical forests in Africa | Photo: Achoelator/Shutterstock
Two young men in Kenya have been arrested for about 5,000 Queen Ali and have been charged with trafficking of highly valued insects worth more than 8,000 euros. News reports claim that these ants are worth nearly 1 million euros in Europe.
Belgian citizens David Lornoy and Septe Rodewijku, both 19 years old, were discovered along with insects at a guest home in Naivasha, the western Kenya town of Kenya on April 5th. They were charged 10 days later with violating the Wildlife Conservation Act.
They confessed to having an Ali illegally, but claimed they didn’t know it was illegal. However, local authorities say they are confident that the insects are intended for European and Asian markets. The Kenya Magistrates’ Court said it expects the two Belgian teenagers to be sentenced in two weeks.
The teens told Judge Njeri Thuku, sitting in court at a major airport in Kenya, that they didn’t know that they were illegal for them to keep Ali and were just having fun.
“We are not criminals.”
“We are not criminals. We are 18 years old. We are naive. I just want to go home and start my life,” Lornoy said at his first trial session last week.
The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) said the incident represented “changes in human trafficking trends – from the iconic large mammals to lesser known but ecologically important species.” The country has previously dealt with human trafficking of body parts of large wildlife, including elephants, rhinoceros and pangolins.
But it’s similar to cocaine smuggling
“It’s like cocaine,” says Dino Martins, director of the Turkana Basin Institute and one of Kenya’s leading insect experts. I said Reuters. “The price of cocaine in Colombia is so great that it’s not about getting kilograms in the European market, but rather people do it.”
Two Belgian teens entered the country on tourist visas to enjoy Naivasha, a town popular with animals and lake tourists.
Harima Nyakinyua Magairo, lawyer for David and Septe, claims that her clients didn’t know what they were doing. She also said she hopes the Belgian embassy in Kenya will “help them more in this judicial process.”
Others smuggled 400 more ants
In another case, Dennis Nganya and Vietnam du Hang Ngguen were charged after it was discovered that 400 ants were owned in an apartment in Nairobi’s Kenya capital. They also confessed to illegally owning the ants.
KWS said these two suspects are also involved in the trafficking of ants to European and Asian markets to people buy as pets and observe the colonies.
The four ants trafficking suspects had an ant species such as Messercephalotes, a distinctive, large, red harvester ant native to East Africa.
Kenyan prosecutors evaluated both attacks at approximately 1.2 million Kenyan shillings ($9,300). However, Reuters estimated that, depending on the number and diversity of the various found, it would be worth 1 million euros if it reached the European coast.
