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POLICE FOUND AN an eight-year-old boy from the Ivory Coast hidden in a suitcase that was smuggled across the border into Spanish territory in north Africa, an official said.
A 19-year-old woman took the case through a pedestrian crossing from Morocco into the small Spanish-governed territory of Ceuta on Thursday, a spokesman for the Civil Guard police force said.
“When they put the suitcase through the scanner, the operator noticed something strange, which seemed to be a person inside the case,” he told AFP.
When it was opened they found a minor, in a terrible state.
The boy said he was eight years old and from Ivory Coast, according to the spokesman.
The Civil Guard arrested the woman, who was due to go before a judge.
They also arrested the boy’s father when he tried to cross the border a few hours later. The father is Ivorian and lives in Spain’s Canary Islands.
Thousands of migrants each year risk their lives trying to enter Ceuta and another Spanish territory bordering Morocco, Melilla, in search of a better life in Europe.
Many Africans try to scramble over the seven-metre fences that separate the Spanish cities from Morocco.
Others smuggle themselves over the border hidden in vehicles and cargoes or try to swim or sail from shores on the Moroccan side.
Earlier this week a 23-year-old Moroccan was found in a shipping container in the port of Melilla.
He was dehydrated after four days cooped up without food or water, since the container was left unattended over the May holiday weekend.
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Poor kid. Few years ago went on a day long trip to Tangiers from Spain by Ferry…could have brought an elephant back into Spain…. hardly any security checking …People walking around body scanner, instead of through. No security personnel at luggage scanner for about 10 mins….. people just walking through.
Sure no need to be put in a suitcase to get into Ireland
Well done Journal, for removing my perfectly reasonable comment – posted in response to egregious trolling. You do yourselves enormous credit – not.l
Sheik, if you replied to the troll and they deleted the troll’s comment then maybe that’s why your comment went too ?
That seems reasonable, thanks for explaining it to me. :-)
Now say sorry to the journal for jumping to conclusions
Cmon Sheik….. apologise ;-)
Actually, when they delete a comment they usually only delete that comment, leaving all the replies and the lack of context it creates.. So it is indeed odd that they removed Shieks comment too.. Unless they’ve changed the policy?
Case closed then….”
Worst case scenario
Next step is a boat trip and rescue. Ching ching.
Messed up the story, “crossing the border into Morocco” no, they were leaving Morocco.
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