This is the moment four alleged human traffickers were arrested after being caught smuggling migrants from North Africa to Murcia.

The Guardia Civil said the high-powered speed boats, often dubbed ‘migrant taxis’, were being used to transport dozens of people at a time.

In one case, migrants claimed they were beaten, threatened with a machete and attacked with pepper spray during their journey to Spain.

A second operation culminated in a high-speed sea chase during which a suspected smuggling boat allegedly rammed a Guardia Civil vessel, leaving three officers injured.

An officer fired two warning shots during the confrontation.

63 migrants arrive at Calblanque

The first operation began following the arrival of at least 63 migrants at a beach in Calblanque, Cartagena, on August 31.

Guardia Civil officers discovered that some of those who had made the journey were suffering from injuries of varying severity.

According to accounts subsequently given by the migrants, passengers had paid several thousand euros each to make the crossing.

They also alleged that the boat’s skippers had assaulted them during the journey.

The migrants claimed they were hit to force them to keep their heads down.

As the boat approached the Spanish coast, they were allegedly threatened and attacked with a machete and pepper spray in an effort to force them to jump from the vessel as quickly as possible.

According to the Guardia Civil, this happened regardless of whether the passengers knew how to swim.

While officers on land dealt with the migrants, a Guardia Civil Maritime Service patrol boat began tracking the suspected smuggling vessel, which had fled back out to sea.

It was eventually located 12 miles southeast of Monte Cenizas and the two skippers were arrested.

Officers seized the vessel, a substantial 15-metre boat equipped with four high-powered engines, and took it to the port of Cartagena.

Guardia Civil boat rammed

Just two days later, on September 2, officers became involved in another dramatic operation near Cabo Cope in Aguilas.

Spain’s Integrated External Surveillance System, known as SIVE, detected a suspicious vessel in waters off Águilas which was believed to be involved in the illegal transportation of people.

A Guardia Civil Maritime Service patrol boat and helicopter were deployed.

Officers located a 10-metre high-speed semi-rigid inflatable boat equipped with two engines anchored close to Cabo Cope.

But when its occupants became aware of the police presence, they started the engines and sped away.

The Guardia Civil said the suspects repeatedly ignored orders to stop.

At one stage, the fleeing vessel and the Guardia Civil patrol boat found themselves heading towards each other, forcing an abrupt manoeuvre to avoid a head-on collision.

The suspects’ boat then allegedly turned perpendicular to the police vessel and carried out another dangerous manoeuvre.

With officers unable to avoid an impending collision, one Guardia Civil agent drew his service weapon and fired two warning shots.

Nobody aboard the suspected smuggling boat was hit.

Despite the warning shots, the vessel struck the side of the Guardia Civil boat before fleeing towards open water.

Its occupants began throwing fuel containers overboard as they escaped.

Three officers injured

After recovering from the collision, Guardia Civil officers resumed the pursuit and eventually caught the vessel.

They boarded the boat and arrested its two occupants while another 28 containers of petrol were discovered aboard.

Three Guardia Civil officers suffered minor injuries as a result of the collision and impact.

A total of four suspected skippers have now been arrested and two high-powered vessels seized.

The Guardia Civil said both operations involved large, high-speed boats fitted with multiple engines capable of producing up to 350 horsepower each.