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Venezuela arrests hundreds of currency 'speculators'

Venezuela's Attorney General Tarek William Saab speaks during a press conference in Caracas, on November 8, 2018

Saab told reporters in Caracas that 70 arrest warrants had been issued since August for "illegal transactions."

Crisis-torn Venezuela's socialist government has cracked down heavily on perceived breaches of strict currency exchange regulations, in place since 2003.

Saab said transactions were driven by "illegal" exchange houses in a dozen countries, mostly in Colombia and the United States "dedicated to attacking" the local currency, the bolivar.

President Nicolas Maduro said his country -- where years of economic crisis has sparked an exodus of two million people -- was the victim of an "economic war" waged by opposition and the United States.

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Saab said 255 people had been brought before the courts and more than 3,000 bank accounts had been blocked.

Illegal transactions were stopping up to $200 million from entering the formal economy every month, Saab said.

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