Immigrants found crammed under dashboard and backseat in Melilla

THREE immigrants including one youngster have been found crammed into hidden compartments under the dashboard and back seat of a vehicle with false registration plates, the Guardia Civil in Melilla reported.

Customs officers on duty at Beni-Enzar found the three while inspecting the Spanish plated car which was entering the city from Morocco on Tuesday evening (September 8).

An officer became suspicious, the police force explained, after noticing the combustion system had been altered, leading him to suspect the vehicle could be used for human trafficking operations, at which point the driver ran away back into Morocco, avoiding arrest.

An in-depth examination of the vehicle revealed two African people in an airless compartment under the back seat and another under the dashboard.

All three, believed to have come from Burkina Faso and Guinea Conakry, were given first aid by the police officers as they were extremely stiff and in pain.

Organised groups charge up to €3,000 per person to try and get the across the border into Spain.