2 Belgians, Vietnamese among 4 sentenced in Kenya for attempting to smuggle rare ants

By Mevlut Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - A Kenyan court on Wednesday sentenced four men, including two Belgians and a Vietnamese, for attempting to smuggle native ant species out of the country.

The court ruled that the suspects could either serve one year in prison or pay a fine of 1 million shillings (about $7,740), according to local broadcaster KBC.

David Lornoy and Seppe Lodewijckx, both from Belgium, Vietnamese Duh Hung Nguyen, and Kenyan Dennis Nganga pleaded guilty to possessing the ants but denied intent to traffic them.

Lornoy and Lodewijckx were apprehended in Nakuru County in April with 5,000 queen ants in 2,244 tubes, while Duh and Nganga were arrested with ants in 140 syringes and two containers. All four were charged together despite the fact that their cases were separate.