The men, including two Belgian teenagers, pleaded guilty to smuggling thousands of live queen ants, which the Kenyan authorities said were destined for markets in Europe and Asia.

Four men have pleaded guilty in Kenya to trying to smuggle hundreds of highly sought-after ants out of the country. The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), which is more used to protecting larger creatures, such as lions and elephants, has described this as a "landmark case".

Kenyan authorities say alleged ant smugglers represent "a shift in trafficking trends — from iconic large mammals to lesser-known yet ecologically critical species."

In a bizarre international wildlife trafficking case, two Belgian teens were arrested for attempting to smuggle ants out of Kenya — and officials say it was more than just a science experiment gone wrong.

Nairobi police nabbed two Belgian teenagers for wildlife piracy. Apparently they were caught with 5,000 ants-not in their pants but packed in test tubes at a guest house where they were staying. Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx,

By Spoorthy Raman In two separate but related incidents, Kenyan authorities have arrested four suspects for illegally possessing and attempting to smuggle some 5,300 ants valued at about 1.2 million Kenyan shillings ($9,