Woman who tried to smuggle immigrant in a suitcase arrested
Spanish officials in Ceuta became suspicious after seeing nervous behavior of young Moroccan
Officers with Spain’s Civil Guard have arrested a 22-year-old Moroccan woman who tried to enter the Spanish North African exclave of Ceuta with a suitcase in which a sub-Saharan immigrant was hidden. Police at the Tarajal border crossing made the arrest on the afternoon of December 30 after noticing the nervous behavior of the young woman with the luggage cart.
After stopping the woman, officers asked her to open the suitcase and discovered a young man inside.
The immigrant, a 19-year-old from Gabon, was treated by medics who feared he had suffered from a shortage of oxygen while in the suitcase.
Ceuta is a popular destination for many sub-Saharan Africans hoping for a better life in Spain
The Moroccan woman, identified only as H. E. L., has now been arrested on immigration-related charges.
Ceuta is a popular destination for many sub-Saharan Africans hoping for a better life in Spain. In early 2014, 15 immigrants drowned after trying to swim around the Tarajal border in a bid to illegally reach Spanish soil.
Sixteen Civil Guard officers were arrested over the incident after Spanish authorities admitted border police had fired rubber bullets “in the direction” of the migrants. However, the case against the officers was later dropped.
English version by George Mills.
