A Zhang Keng Kun was arrested at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) early Tuesday morning for allegedly attempting to smuggle almost 2,000 queen garden ants out of Kenya.
According to Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) investigators, Zhang had previously evaded arrest in 2025 by using a different passport to board a flight to China.
“Personal luggage was searched, and within that luggage there were found 1,948 garden ants. They were packed in special test tubes, which is now a departure from the syringes that we saw in 2025,” stated Allan Mulama, a prosecutor at JKIA.
Authorities revealed that some of the ants were concealed in test tubes while others were wrapped in tissue paper. Investigators say Zhang Keng Kun is linked to previous smuggling incidents at JKIA, including one in 2025 when two Belgians, a Vietnamese, and a Kenyan were arrested with 5,000 giant African harvester ants bound for China.
“Keng Kun is being investigated as the mastermind behind what we have termed the Global Garden Ant Syndicate trafficking,” Mulama added.
Zhang Keng Kun was arraigned before Magistrate Njeri Thuku, who approved a five-day detention to allow detectives to conduct forensic analysis on his phone and laptop. The magistrate also scheduled the next mention of the case for March 17, 2026, to confirm compliance.
Detectives have extended their probe to towns including Nakuru and Naivasha, where ant harvesting is suspected to be ongoing.
The current arrest links Zhang to earlier high-profile cases. On April 5, 2025, two Belgians, Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, were charged under Section 95(c) of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act for unlawfully dealing with protected species. Court documents show the duo possessed about 5,000 garden ant queens, packed in 2,244 tubes. They pleaded guilty and were fined Sh 1 million each, with an alternative of 12 months’ imprisonment.
In another related case, Vietnamese national Duh Hung Nguyen and Kenyan Dennis Nganga were found with ants stored in 140 syringes and two additional containers. Both were fined Sh 1 million each or faced 12 months in prison.
Authorities now believe Zhang Keng Kun coordinated these previous smuggling activities and is central to the ongoing investigation into the illicit trade of queen garden ants from Kenya.
“This is not an isolated case; it is part of an organized syndicate, and we are committed to tracking all those involved,” a KWS official said.
The investigation into Zhang Keng Kun and the suspected syndicate continues, with law enforcement monitoring key towns suspected to be hubs for ant harvesting.
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