Venezuela has arrested and charged 50 people with "usury" and other crimes for allegedly seeking to reap excessive profits, the government said.
"Fifty people have been detained for usury, speculation and disturbing the peace," said Miguel Rodriguez Torres, the country's justice minister, in a press release that offered no additional details about the people detained or their alleged crimes.
Last weekend, at least seven store managers were arrested, most of whom also were charged with usury, as the government expanded a crackdown on merchants accused of speculation and price-gouging.
The yesterday's arrests were the latest move by the government to fight alleged corruption.
President Nicolas Maduro blames Venezuela's soaring inflation rate -- currently at 54 percent -- on the members of the opposition and on the private sector, which he says is waging an "economic war" against his government.
Meanwhile, the national legislature on Thursday gave initial backing to a measure granting Maduro extraordinary powers -- a move criticized by his political enemies as a naked power grab.
The president's supporters, who hold the majority in the National Assembly, engineered a narrow victory for the measure allowing him to govern by decree, without having to seek parliamentary approval.
A second vote that would final passage has been scheduled for November 19.
The crackdown came as Maduro -- a protege of late socialist firebrand Hugo Chavez -- maneuvers to strengthen his hand ahead of an important political test in municipal elections next month.
Over the weekend, Maduro used his existing authority to make retail appliance stores slash prices, sending troops to keep order among the unruly crowds.
The deep discounts of as much as 60 percent -- which Maduro has said would soon be expanded to other consumer items -- come with workers newly flush with cash from year-end pay bonuses.
Some analysts say shortages, price gouging and corruption are stoked by Venezuela's foreign exchange controls.
The government makes a limited number of dollars available for imports at 6.3 bolivars to the dollar -- eight times less than a parallel gray market rate.
And business leaders acknowledge that imported goods are overpriced, but say that investigators should focus on has preferential access to dollars at the official rate -- not on arresting merchants.
