13-year-old discovered hidden in van from Morocco to Genoa

Border police in the Genoa port discovered a 13-year-old boy curled up inside a compartment beneath the two front seats of a van arriving from Morocco, ANSA reported on Saturday.

A 44-year-old Moroccan man, the van's owner, was arrested. He could not explain how the child ended up in his vehicle.

Investigators suspect, however, that the driver is allegedly part of an organization facilitating the irregular reunification of minors with relatives in Veneto, northeastern Italy.

Before his arrest, the driver was en route to Verona to deliver mattresses and other goods. In addition to the minor, police seized cell phones, SIM cards, and €2,000 in cash from the van.

A similar incident in recent months, involving the same methods, further raised investigators' suspicions. In that case, another truck driver, arriving from Tangier and also heading to Verona, was found with a boy hidden inside a compartment in his vehicle.