A Chinese national has been arrested in Kenya's main airport accused of attempting to smuggle more than 2,000 queen garden ants out of the country.

Zhang Kequn was intercepted during a security check at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in the capital Nairobi after authorities discovered a large consignment of live ants in his luggage bound for China.

He has yet to respond to the accusation but investigators said in court that he was linked to an ant-trafficking network that was broken up in Kenya last year.

The ants are protected by international bio-diversity treaties and their trade is highly regulated.

Last year, the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) warned of a growing demand for garden ants – scientifically known as Messor cephalotes - in Europe and Asia, where collectors keep them as pets.

A state prosecutor told the court on Wednesday that Zhang had packed some ants in test tubes, while others were concealed in tissue paper rolls hidden in his luggage.

"Within his personal luggage there was found 1,948 garden ants packed in specialised test tubes," prosecutor Allen Mulama told the court.

"A further 300 live ants were recovered concealed in three rolls of tissue paper within the luggage," he added.

The prosecutor asked the court to allow the suspect's electronic devices - phone and laptop - to be forensically examined.

Duncan Juma, a senior KWS official, told the BBC that more arrests were expected as investigators widen their probe into other Kenyan towns where ant harvesting was suspected to be ongoing.

Last May, a Kenyan court sentenced four men to one year in prison or a fine of $7,700 (£5,800) for trying to smuggle thousands of live queen ants out of the country, in a first-of-its kind case.

The four suspects – two Belgians, a Vietnamese and a Kenyan - had pleaded guilty to the charges after their arrest in what the KWS described as "a co-ordinated, intelligence-led operation".

The Belgians told the court that they were collecting the highly sought-after ants as a hobby and didn't think it was illegal.

Investigators now say Zhang was the mastermind behind this trafficking ring but apparently escaped Kenya last year using a different passport.

On Wednesday, the court allowed prosecutors to detain him for five days to enable detectives to conduct further investigations.

The KWS, which is more used to protecting larger creatures, such as lions and elephants, described last year's ruling as a "landmark case".

The ants seized last year were giant African harvester ants, which KWS said were ecologically important, noting that their removal from the ecosystem could disrupt soil health and biodiversity.

It is believed that the intended destinations were the exotic pet markets in Europe and Asia. (BBC)

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