MIGRANT ‘taxi’ drivers who charged thousands of euros for the crossing from Africa have been arrested after forcing non-swimmers into the sea with machetes on the Murcia coast.

The Guardia Civil detained four smugglers following two violent interceptions involving high-speed vessels used to traffic people to the Spanish mainland.

Officers located 63 migrants abandoned on a beach in Calblanque, a protected coastal reserve near Cartagena, on August 31.

Many of the passengers were found with various injuries and told police they had been severely beaten by the boat’s drivers during the journey.

The smugglers ordered the migrants to keep their heads down before using a machete and pepper spray to force them to jump into the water as they neared the shore.

A Guardia Civil maritime patrol tracked the fleeing 15-metre vessel and intercepted it 12 miles southeast of Monte Cenizas.

The boat was equipped with four 350hp engines, and its two drivers were immediately arrested.

Just two days later, a second operation unfolded near Cabo Cope in Aguilas when the Sistema Integral de Vigilancia Exterior radar network detected another suspicious vessel.

A police helicopter and patrol boat approached the 10-metre inflatable, prompting the suspects to flee at high speed while dumping 28 barrels of fuel overboard.

The smugglers ignored repeated orders to stop and intentionally rammed the Guardia Civil vessel to avoid capture.

One officer fired two warning shots into the air to deter the attack, but the collision still left three police officers with minor injuries.

Authorities eventually boarded the boat and arrested the two remaining crew members.

The four men now face charges of people smuggling, piracy, assault on law enforcement, and causing criminal damage.

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