Four foreigners and a Kenyan have been sentenced to pay a fine of Sh1 million each or serve one year in jail after they were found guilty of attempting to smuggle live ants. The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku noted that the four had tried to smuggle the insects through the airport.
The four individuals, including two Belgian nationals, a Vietnamese citizen, and a Kenyan, pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful possession and trade in live queen ants on April 14.
The two Belgians were arraigned before the JKIA Law Courts after being nabbed on April 5, 2025, at a guest house in the Lake View area of Naivasha, Nakuru County, while in possession of live queen ants.
A photo of some of the live ants hidden in test tubes that were to be smuggled out of Kenya by four individuals.
