Man Arraigned for Allegedly Trafficking Live Garden Ants to Foreigners

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions has just arraigned a man who is accused of supplying live garden ants to foreign nationals in a suspected wildlife trafficking network, which is illegal.

The suspect, who is Charles Mwangi, has appeared before the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport locals after investigators allegedly discovered thousands of live ants at his house.

According to prosecutors, John Tago and Mercy Katsivo, a police search at Mwangi’s house, recovered 1,000 unpackaged lifeguard ants, 113 ants that were packaged in modified syringes and 503 empty syringes that are believed to have been used for packaging the ants.

The prosecution told the court that investigations revealed that the suspect had previously supplied the ants to a Chinese national identified as Zhang Kequn.

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CCTV Evidence

Evidence that had been retrieved from CCTV footage at Moonlight Hotel in Nakuru allegedly showed Mwangi delivering the insects to the Chinese foreigner on 5 March 2026.

The investigators further linked the suspect to a shipment of garden ants that was intercepted in Bangkok on March 10, 2026. The authorities believe the shipment originated from Mombasa and may be part of a wider trafficking network of insects.

The court heard from prosecutors that Mwangi is suspected of having connections with accomplices operating in Naivasha sub-county, Mombasa and Kajado counties.

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Mwangi to Remain in Custody

The prosecutors also alleged that the suspects had previously supplied ants in April 2025 to three individuals, a Vietnamese, a Belgian and a Kenyan national, who were later arrested and charged at the same court.

Senior Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi ordered Mwangi to be detained at Langata Police Station for three days to allow investigators to complete their investigation.

The office of the DPP  says the case will be mentioned again on March 19, 2026.

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Senior Principal Magistrate Irene Gichobi ordered Mwangi to be detained at Langata Police Station for three days to allow investigators to complete their investigation.
PHOTO/ X