Spanish police find illegal immigrants in luggage compartments

Police in southern Spanish port Algeciras intercepted two vehicles with suspected illegal immigrants in luggage compartments.

One of the vehicles, a van, had eight people - six men, one woman and a male minor - stacked on top of each other below a false floor in the luggage compartment, the Interior Ministry said.

A car was also stopped with a 26 year-old man hidden under a suitcase in the trunk.

All the suspected illegal immigrants were returned to their country of origin except for the minor, who was taken into care, the ministry said.

The two drivers were detained by police, the AP reports.

Each year, thousands of Africans, many packed into small boats, try to reach Spanish territory in search of an improved lifestyle.

Many are caught and many drown while attempting the crossing, but officials estimate that thousands slip through each year.