Zhang Kequn stays jailed over illegal ant trade

ByEnigma 808

A bust over live ants just landed a Chinese national and his Kenyan supplier in court at an airport courthouse.

Ant-smuggling charges at JKIA

  • Zhang Kequn and Charles Mwangi denied wildlife-trade charges.
  • Cops nabbed them with 1,948 ants in tubes.
  • Another 300 were stashed inside tissue rolls.
  • Neither had any permits for the insects.

Mwangi’s extra stash in Gilgil

  • A follow-up raid turned up 1,000 ants.
  • Investigators spotted 113 more crammed into syringes.
  • Over 500 empty syringes were also seized.
  • Mwangi caught fresh charges from that haul.

Kequn’s ant-buying habit exposed

  • Kequn reportedly dropped Sh60,000 on 600 ants.
  • A second batch of 700 ran him Sh70,000.
  • Each ant was basically valued at around Ksh 100.
  • Prosecutors say he regularly sourced from Mwangi.

The flight-risk argument locks Kequn up

  • Prosecutors tagged Kequn as a serious flight risk.
  • His tourist visa only started on February 27, 2026.
  • Immigration had already flagged his passport after a 2025 dodge.
  • Magistrate Gichobi ordered him held pending a bail ruling.

Author

  • Enigma XO avatar (80x80)

    Besides writing and being a content creator, Enigma 808 sometimes likes to watch paint dry on walls, listening to ASMR while timing snails racing. Such is life.