Venezuelan authorities have arrested 131 people accused of attempting to sabotage reforms implemented by President Nicolas Maduro to alleviate a crippling economic crisis, the attorney general said on Thursday.

Tarek William Saab said the arrests included "several managers of large chains" accused of "speculating and hoarding basic products" that are subject to prices fixed by the government.

The detainees are accused of trying to "destabilise the economy," Saab added.

Of those arrested, 29 have been permitted conditional release and 10 others exonerated.

Maduro has launched a raft of reforms aimed at ending four years of recession and arresting hyperinflation the International Monetary Fund predicts will reach one million percent this year.