Source: SFGate
“Two Belgian teenagers who were found with thousands of ants valued at $9,200 and allegedly destined for European and Asian markets will be sentenced in two weeks, a Kenyan magistrate said Wednesday. Magistrate Njeri Thuku, sitting at the court in Kenya’s main airport, said she would not rush the case but would take time to review environmental impact and psychological reports filed in court before passing sentence on May 7. Belgian nationals Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, both 19 years old, were arrested on April 5 with 5,000 ants at a guest house. They were charged on April 15 with violating wildlife conservation laws. The teens have told the magistrate that they didn’t know that keeping the ants was illegal and were just having fun. The Kenya Wildlife Service had said the case represented ‘a shift in trafficking trends — from iconic large mammals to lesser-known yet ecologically critical species’.” (04/23/25)
https://www.sfgate.com/news/world/article/belgian-teenagers-found-with-5-000-ants-to-be-20290471.php