Four individuals — including two Belgian nationals, a Vietnamese citizen, and a Kenyan — have pleaded guilty to charges related to the illegal possession and trade in live queen ants, in what authorities are calling a rare and disturbing case of wildlife trafficking.
Appearing before Senior Principal Magistrate Njeri Thuku at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Law Courts, the accused were charged with violating Kenya’s wildlife laws after being found in possession of thousands of live queen ants.
The prosecution told the court that Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx were arrested on April 5, 2025, at approximately 10:00 a.m. at Jane Guest House in the Lake View area of Naivasha, Nakuru County, Northwest of Nairobi. The two were allegedly found in possession of approximately 5,000 live queen ants stored in 2,244 tubes.
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“They were charged with dealing in wildlife species without a permit, in violation of Section 95(c) of the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act, Cap 376 of the Laws of Kenya,” said the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution (ODPP).
In a separate but related case, Vietnamese national Duh Hung Nguyen and Kenyan national Dennis Ng’ang’a were arrested and charged after being found with around 400 live queen ants. The illegal activity reportedly took place between April 5 and April 6, 2025, at Hemak Towers Suite in Nairobi’s Central Business District and at Tofina Muthama Apartments in Syokimau, Nairobi County.
All four accused persons entered guilty pleas during their arraignment and will remain in custody at the JKIA Police Station.
The court deferred the case to April 15, 2025, to allow the prosecution to present the full facts and submit physical exhibits related to the charges.
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