In a major anti-corruption crackdown on illegal manufacturing, Cuban authorities shut down 13 factories and 10 warehouses official media reported June 17.
Guillermo Perez, a Havana province government official said about 50 people were fined and that authorities confiscated machinery, and plastic and aluminum goods. The factories were making such things as plates, cups and hair accessories, all out of plastic or aluminum, Perez said, commenting on the sweep by the "Fight Against Social Indiscipline Task Force."
State media last week reported on "dumpster divers" who illegally pick up scrap materials and waste for reuse. About 300 people were fined and dozens forcibly returned to the provinces of their birth, they said.
The government of President Raul Castro has made anti-corruption work a key priority.
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2008