{"id":57458,"date":"2026-03-12T11:27:55","date_gmt":"2026-03-12T15:27:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/man-arrested-after-allegedly-trying-to-smuggle-over-2000-queen-ants-in-tissue-paper-rolls-and-test-tubes-at-airport\/12\/03\/2026\/"},"modified":"2026-03-12T11:27:55","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T15:27:55","slug":"man-arrested-after-allegedly-trying-to-smuggle-over-2000-queen-ants-in-tissue-paper-rolls-and-test-tubes-at-airport","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/man-arrested-after-allegedly-trying-to-smuggle-over-2000-queen-ants-in-tissue-paper-rolls-and-test-tubes-at-airport\/12\/03\/2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Man Arrested After Allegedly Trying to Smuggle Over 2,000 Queen Ants in Tissue Paper Rolls and Test Tubes at Airport"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\n<\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<h3 class=\"mb-4 text-lg font-bold\">NEED TO KNOW<\/h3>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A man has been arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle over 2000 queen ants from Kenya<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">On Tuesday, March 10, Zhang Kequn was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi after authorities alleged they found 2,238 live ants inside his luggage<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 list-disc\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The\u00a027-year-old Chinese national, who was set to travel back to China, had previously avoided arrest last year in connection with an alleged ant trafficking network that was squashed<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A man has been arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle over 2000 queen ants from Kenya.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">On Tuesday, March 10, Zhang Kequn was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi after authorities alleged they found 2,238 live ants inside his luggage, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/articles\/cz7gd57z33zo\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:BBC;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;BBC&quot;}\" class=\"link \">BBC<\/a>, U.K. newspaper <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/africa\/jomo-kenyatta-airport-ants-kenya-b2937009.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Independent;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Independent&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>Independent<\/em><\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.scmp.com\/news\/world\/africa\/article\/3346382\/ant-smuggling-rises-kenya-chinese-national-caught-2238-insects-airport\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:South China Morning Post;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;South China Morning Post&quot;}\" class=\"link \"><em>South China Morning Post<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The \u00a027-year-old Chinese national who was set to travel back to China had previously avoided arrest last year in connection with an alleged ant trafficking network that was squashed, per the BBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">This resulted in a &#8220;stop order&#8221; being placed on Kequn&#8217;s passport, <em>Independent<\/em> cited court documents obtained by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/africa\/kenya-arrests-man-trying-smuggle-over-2000-live-ants-his-luggage-2026-03-12\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Reuters;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;Reuters&quot;}\" class=\"link \">Reuters<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">There has been an increase in demand for garden pets in Kenya, with the\u00a0Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) warning about the pressure last year, per the BBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to the outlet, people in Europe and Asia keep the ants, also known as Messor cephalotes, as pets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">PEOPLE reached out to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), the High Court of Kenya and Kenya Police Service for comment, but didn&#8217;t immediately receive responses.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for<a href=\"https:\/\/forms.dotdashmeredith.com\/people-true-crime\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:PEOPLE's free True Crime newsletter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;PEOPLE'&quot;}\" class=\"link \"> PEOPLE&#8217;s free True Crime newsletter<\/a> for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">On Wednesday, March 11, state prosecutor Allen Mulama told the court that some of the ants in Kequn\u2019s luggage had been packed in test tubes, the BBC reported.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Within his personal luggage, there was found 1,948 garden ants packed in specialized test tubes,&#8221; Mulama said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-0 size-full\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-3 right-3 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed bottom-0 left-0 right-0 top-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div><figcaption class=\"relative text-sm mt-1 pr-2.5\">\n<p><i>The Jomo Kenyatta International Airport<br \/>Credit: Kang-Chun Cheng\/Bloomberg via Getty<\/i><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;A further 300 live ants were recovered concealed in three rolls of tissue paper within the luggage,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">He had been in Kenya for two weeks and allegedly revealed to his three ant suppliers to authorities, per <em>Independent<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Kequn\u2019s phone and laptop are set to be forensically examined, according to the BBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">More arrests related to ant trafficking and harvesting are expected, Senior KWS, Duncan Juma, told the outlet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Meanwhile, investigators believe Kequn was the mastermind behind the trafficking ring that resulted in four men being sentenced to one year in prison and fined <strong>\u00a0<\/strong>$7,700 in May 2025 after trying to smuggle thousands of ants from Kenya, according to the BBC.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Kequn was able to escape at the time after leaving the country with another passport.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Read the original article on <a href=\"https:\/\/people.com\/man-arrested-allegedly-smuggle-2000-queen-ants-airport-11924556\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:People;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;context_link&quot;,&quot;yModuleName&quot;:&quot;content-canvas&quot;,&quot;yLinkText&quot;:&quot;People&quot;}\" class=\"link \">People<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/articles\/man-arrested-allegedly-trying-smuggle-151248513.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NEED TO KNOW A man has been arrested after allegedly trying to smuggle over 2000 queen ants from Kenya On Tuesday, March<br \/><button class=\"read-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/world\/man-arrested-after-allegedly-trying-to-smuggle-over-2000-queen-ants-in-tissue-paper-rolls-and-test-tubes-at-airport\/12\/03\/2026\/\">Read More &rsaquo;<\/a><\/button><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":57459,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/EikD3yCvv1jZiCdeN6Yuyw--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTEyMDA7aD04MDA7Y2Y9d2VicA--\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/people_218\/b187b362df9eab4f7c51aeabb3f6ff9d","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57458"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57458"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57458\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57458"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57458"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newssprinters.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57458"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}