Today the verdict in Kenyan ant case: young Belgians facing several years in prison?

Two boys from the Flemish Kempen are due to hear the verdict in their trial today. They are suspected in Kenya of smuggling thousands of ants into Europe. The boys, aged 18 and 19, were caught in early April with thousands of queen ants in their hotel room. Since then, they have been in prison in Kenya. They may face a particularly severe punishment.

Making a mountain out of an ant hill?

"These ants may be small, but their theft threatens food security by disrupting crucial processes such as soil aeration and seed dispersal. We treat this case with the same seriousness as elephant poaching", stated the Kenyan court.

The teenagers from the Mol region in the Belgian Kempen are currently in prison in Kenya awaiting the verdict in their trial. They tried to take ants to Belgium. These special queen ants are worth up to 200 euros each, and the Belgian teenagers paid only a few thousand euros for the animals in Kenya. It appears they wanted to smuggle the ants illegally to Belgium, then sell them for a much higher price on the black market.

Protected species

However, it is completely forbidden to catch, keep, or trade this protected species. In 2,244 tubes, around 5,000 ants were discovered in total. The tubes were padded with cotton to keep the ants moist during transport.

The trial of David L. and Seppe L. began on Monday (14/04) in a special court at the airport in the capital, Nairobi. The Kenyan judiciary reports that the Belgian teenagers pleaded guilty. The ants have been confiscated and will be reintroduced into the wild.

According to Kenyan media, the young Belgians could face a prison sentence of at least 5 years and a fine of 5,500 euros. The exact sentence is ultimately decided by the judge, taking into account factors such as the seriousness of the offence and the species involved, reports from the KWS, insights from the probation officers, and advice from the National Museum of Kenya.

(SR - Source: Het Nieuwsblad/GVA/Kenya Wildlife Service - Illustration: ©Unsplash)