Mexico intercepts a trafficking scheme smuggling native ants to SE Asia

Mexican authorities intercepted 105 queen ants of the genus Pogonomyrmex, smuggled in plastic toys labeled as 'collectible figures' in a shipment bound for Laos. The ants were found in test tubes inside the toys, with 87 surviving and being released into a protected natural area, highlighting illegal wildlife trafficking linked to a niche hobby in Europe and Asia.