Border X-ray Detects 8-Year-Old Boy Hidden Inside A Suitcase

Marilyn Ojehonmon Nwene
May 9, 2015
2 min read

Custom officials in Spanish territory of Ceuta, in North Africa made a startling discovery when they saw a human silhoutte in a pink suitcase.

According reports, the officials noticed a 19-year-old Morrocan woman whose behavior appeared very suspicious while she was waiting in line to be checked. This caught the attention of the security who expected to find contraband in her possession. Surprisingly, “when they put the suitcase through the scanner, the operator noticed something strange, which seemed to be a person inside the case,” a Spanish Civil Guard police spokesman told AFP. “When it was opened they found a minor, in a terrible state.”

The little boy identified as Abu was about the age of 8 and a native of Ivory coast.

The woman who was paid to smuggle him, was immediately detained by the airport authority while the little boy was taken into custody by the Department of Social Services - after a quick check-up by medics.

Hours later, the father of the boy who was also trying to cross the border was arrested for human rights abuse charges, the AP reported.

Meanwhile, the boy's mother was awaiting her son's safe arrival at the port of entry. She was also apprehended by the police.

The boy's father is originally from Ivory Coast. He holds a resident permit for the Canary Islands, while his wife only has a temporary visa in the Islands. The family were trying to reunite after a previous reunification application that was filed by the father was denied.

He told Spanish paper El Pais that he “didn’t know that this was the way” his son would travel across the border.

Spain is suffering a growing pressure from African migrants attempting to enter European territory, with hopes for a better future.

Traveling in suitcases seems to be trending lately. About a month ago, a man attempted to smuggle a tiny woman into turkey in a carry-on suitcase. See video below.

Washington Post reported that attempting to cross the borders could be risky, even deadly, and Spanish authorities have faced criticism for how they treat such migrants. In February 2014, 15 migrants drowned while attempting to swim to Ceuta. El Pais reportsthat Spanish authorities later admitted to firing rubber bullets in the direction of the swimmers.

Large groups also regularly try to scale the 20-foot-high fence between the territories and Morocco. About 500 made the climb into Melilla in 2014, according to Human Rights Watch.