Belgian Teens Face Jail for Ant Smuggling
in hot water: to be in trouble for doing something wrong or illegal
Two young men from Belgium are in hot water after being caught with thousands of ants in Kenya. The 19-year-olds, Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx, were arrested on April 5. They had over 5,000 live ants in more than 2,200 test tubes at a guesthouse in Nakuru County. The ants were packed with cotton wool to keep them alive for months.
They called themselves the “ant gang” and were working with a man from Kenya and another from Vietnam. The four planned to sell the ants as exotic pets in Europe and Asia. The teens told the court they collected the ants for fun and did not know it was illegal. They have all pled guilty and will be sentenced on April 23.
The rare ants are native to East Africa. Each queen ant can sell for over $130. Kenyan authorities say this case shows a new trend in wildlife trafficking, moving from large animals to smaller insects
Sample sentences
He forgot his wife’s birthday and now he’s really in hot water.
She was in hot water at school after skipping class three times.
I didn’t finish the project on time, so I’m in hot water with my boss.
Origin
This expression comes from the idea of being in a pot of hot water, like vegetables or eggs when they are cooked. Someone in hot water is in a bad or painful situation.
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Belgian teens arrested with 5,000 smuggled ants as Kenya warns of changing trafficking trends