Belgian teens arrested with 5,000 smuggled ants as Kenya warns of changing trafficking trends

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Two Belgian teenagers were charged Tuesday with wildlife piracy after they were found with thousands of ants packed in test tubes in what Kenyan authorities said was part of a trend in trafficking smaller and lesser known species.

Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, two 19-year-olds who were arrested on April 5 with 5,000 ants at a guest house, appeared distraught during their appearance before a magistrate in Nairobi and were comforted in the courtroom by relatives. They told the magistrate they were collecting the ants for fun and did not know that it was illegal.

In a separate criminal case, Kenyan Dennis Ng’ang’a and Vietnamese Duh Hung Nguyen also were charged with illegal trafficking in the same courtroom, following their arrest while in possession of 400 ants.

The Kenya Wildlife Service said the four men were involved in trafficking the ants to markets in Europe and Asia, and that the species included messor cephalotes, a distinctive, large and red-colored harvester ant native to East Africa.

The illegal export of the ants "not only undermines Kenya’s sovereign rights over its biodiversity but also deprives local communities and research institutions of potential ecological and economic benefits,” KWS said in a statement.

Kenya has in the past fought against the trafficking of body parts of larger species of wild animals such as elephants, rhinos and pangolins among others. But the cases against the four men represent "a shift in trafficking trends — from iconic large mammals to lesser-known yet ecologically critical species,” KWS said.

The two Belgians were arrested in Kenya’s Nakuru county, which is home to various national parks. The 5,000 ants were found in a guest house where they were staying, and were packed in 2,244 test tubes that had been filled with cotton wool to enable the ants to survive for months.

The other two men were arrested in Nairobi where they were found to have 400 ants in their apartments.

Kenyan authorities valued the ants at 1 million shillings ($7,700). The prices for ants can vary greatly according to the species and the market.

Philip Muruthi, a vice president for conservation at the Africa Wildlife Foundation in Nairobi, said ants play the role of enriching soils, enabling germination and providing food for species such as birds.

“The thing is, when you see a healthy forest, like Ngong forest, you don’t think about what is making it healthy. It is the relationships all the way from the bacteria to the ants to the bigger things,” he said.

Muruthi warned of the risk of trafficking species and exporting diseases to the agricultural industry of the destination countries.

“Even if there is trade, it should be regulated and nobody should be taking our resources just like that,” he said.

Kenyan officials display live queen ants insects that were destined for Europe and Asia, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, April. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Belgian national Lornoy David, who admitted to charges related to the illegal possession and trafficking of live queen ants to sell as exotic pets, appears at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, April. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Belgian national Seppe Lodewijckx, who admitted to charges related to the illegal possession and trafficking of live queen ants to sell as exotic pets, appears at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, April. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

A relative hugs Belgian national Seppe Lodewijckx, right, who is charged to related illegal possession and trafficking of live queen ants to sell as exotic pets, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, April. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Relatives hug Belgian national Lornoy David, centre, who is charged to related illegal possession and trafficking of live queen ants to sell as exotic pets, at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, April. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Vietnamese national Duh Hung Nguyen, left, and Kenyan national Dennis Ng'ang'a who are charged to the illegal possession and trafficking of live queen ants to sell as exotic pets, appear at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, April. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

Belgian nationals Lornoy David, left, and Seppe Lodewijckx, right, who admitted to charges related to the illegal possession and trafficking of live queen ants to sell as exotic pets, appear at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport Law Courts in Nairobi, Kenya Tuesday, April. 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Brian Inganga)

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares were trading mixed Tuesday amid global skepticism about U.S. investments and President Donald Trump’s trade war.

Trading was cautious in Asia, where the benchmark Nikkei 225 lost 0.2% in afternoon trading to 34,224.33. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 was virtually unchanged, inching down less than 0.1% to 7,816.70. South Korea's Kospi lost 0.2% to 2,483.60. Hong Kong's Hang Seng added nearly 0.6% to 21,513.91, while the Shanghai Composite added 0.4% to 3,303.32.

Trump's tariffs and the retaliatory measures from China hang as a shadow over the region.

"Across Asia, there is undoubtedly a sense of urgency to get to the negotiation table even as striking a deal at an appropriate cost can be tough," said Tan Boon Heng, at Mizuho Bank's Asia & Oceania Treasury Department.

“China’s warning to countries not to resolve U.S. tariffs by striking deals at the expense of Beijing’s interests reveals the geo-economic polarization.”

On Wall Street the previous day, the S&P 500 sank 2.4% in another wipeout. That yanked the index that’s at the center of many 401(k) accounts 16% below a record set two months ago.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 971 points, or 2.5%, while losses for Tesla and Nvidia helped drag the Nasdaq composite down 2.6%.

U.S. government bonds and the value of the U.S. dollar also sank as prices retreated across U.S. markets. That's an unusual and worrying move because Treasurys and the dollar have historically strengthened during episodes of nervousness.

This time around, though, it’s policies directly from Washington that are causing the fear and potentially weakening their reputations as some of the world’s safest investments.

In energy trading, benchmark U.S. crude gained 45 cents to $63.53 a barrel. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 45 cents to $66.71 a barrel.

In currency trading, the U.S. dollar edged down to 140.31 Japanese yen from 140.80 yen. The euro cost $1.1508, down from $1.1514.

Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top right, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader watches monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)