Ants are at the centre of a new crime ring threatening Europe: ‘It’s like cocaine’
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The lucrative new crime ring threatening Kenya’s ecosystem
- Two Belgian teenagers, a Vietnamese man, and a Kenyan national have all been arrested in Kenya for Smuggling queen ants.
- The confiscated ants, taken from giant African harvester ant colonies, were estimated to be worth 1.2 million Kenyan shillings (almost £7000) or as much as US$1 million if they had reached European shores.
- Queen ants are highly valued by ant enthusiasts, but their trafficking threatens the Kenyan ecosystem.
- While ant exports are legal with licenses, the complexity of regulations makes it difficult to navigate.
- This case highlights a shift in biopiracy trends from large mammals to smaller, ecologically crucial species like insects and microorganisms.