Customs officials discovered an 8-year-old boy smuggled into the suitcase of a Moroccan woman traveling to Spain this week.
The 19-year-old woman, who was not related to the boy, reportedly received money from the boy's father in order to
transport him into Ceuta, the BBC reported.
"She seemed to hesitate, and it looked as though she didn't want to come through the border,” a police spokesman said, according to the BBC. "At first we thought that there could be drug packages, but gradually discovered that it was a human body."
The boy, who is from the Ivory Coast, was
“in a terrible state,” according to Agence France-Presse. The woman and the boy’s father, who some outlets reported are married, were both arrested. The father is being held on charges of
human rights abuse, CBS News reported.
The child reportedly poked his head out of the suitcase and said in French, "Hello, my
name is Abou," The Mirror reported. He was treated by the Red Cross and taken into protective services.
Officials said the boy easily could have suffocated in the suitcase.
Migrants seeking a better life in Europe frequently try to enter Spanish territories Ceuta and Melilla, AFP said. A 23-year-old Moroccan was found in a shipping container in Melilla earlier this week.
Twitter users were saddened by the story.
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