Stunned customs officials scanned a small item of luggage and found a young boy hidden inside.
X-ray images capture the moment the youngster was caught on camera tucked up in the trolley suitcase as he tried to get into Spain.
The luggage belonged to a 19-year-old woman who police became suspicious of after noticing she was becoming nervous.
They pulled her to one side and, believing she may have been smuggling drugs, scanned her luggage – only to find something much more shocking.
An outline of a young boy was clearly seen and officers immediately opened the bad and pulled out an eight-year-old boy.
A spokesman for the Civil Guard said:
“This could have had a tragic end.”
The boy stuck his head out of the suitcase and said, in French, “hello, my name is Abou.”
Police are now investigating the circumstances of the strange incident but have already arrested a man from Costa de Marfil on the Ivory Coast who was found to be the boy’s father.
He tried to get through the same checkpoint about an hour and a half later, saying he lived in the Canary Islands.It is believed the woman was acting as a carrier for a substantial fee.
