MONTREAL - The head of one of Quebec's largest construction empires, Tony Accurso, was arrested by Surete du Quebec officers on Tuesday during a series of pre-dawn raids north of Montreal.

Over 120 police officers from the SQ's permanent anti-corruption squad nabbed Accurso and 13 others as it targeted homes and offices in Mascouche, Laval and Terrebonne. Accurso faces six charges, including fraud, conspiracy and influence peddling.

"This was a big hit and many people were waiting for it," said Robert Lafreniere, the head of the SQ's anti-corruption squad, during a press conference on Tuesday morning.

Mascouche city hall raided

As part of Operation Hammer—the year-old effort to crackdown on corruption in the construction industry—boxes of documents were crated out of Mascouche city hall while police officers surrounded the building.

"These arrests and searches, came following a year-and-a-half investigation that allowed us to establish that a system had been put into place a few years ago, allowing certain companies to gain an advantage towards the distribution of lucrative municipal contracts," said Guy Lapointe, a spokesman for the SQ.

"This system also aimed at giving elected official and city officials advantages in return for favourable decisions."

Those advantages included gifts and money.

Mascouche city councillor Lisa Gagnon said feels construction is rife in the province.

Gagnon met with police investigators three times.

"I told them everything," she said, explaining how last October she was summoned to a meeting with a prominent businessman and told to turn a blind eye to certain contracts being considered at city hall.

When she refused, she said she was followed around for days.

"I was scared. At night I would come home, lock the doors and even put a table in front of the door," she said.

Mascouche Mayor Richard Marcotte faces charges in connection with doling out millions in city water filtration contracts to a company linked to Accurco.

Marcotte can stay in office while being investigated, but will be formally arrested when he returns from a vacation in Cuba.

Marcotte connected to Accurso: SQ

Court documents allege Marcotte vacationed on Accurso's yacht, The Touch.

"He was using the yacht to basically ingratiate himself to some very powerful people," explained Maclean's journalist Martin Patriquin.

Police say he had an edge when bidding on city contracts.

"He would give advantages to public officials in return for advantages towards companies bidding on public contracts," said SQ spokesperson Guy Lapointe.

Accurso linked to corruption: police

At the head of a business empire with revenues topping $1.2 billion last year and dozens of construction companies, Accurso and his family has been linked to corruption in the construction industry, politics and unions.

Accurso had avoided being personally linked to corruption until Tuesday.

In January, two Accurso companies had their licences suspended after they were both found guilty of tax fraud. Construction Louisbourg and Simard-Beaudry Construction were the recipients of public contracts and were working at the McGill super hospital and countless transportation projects across the province.

Marcotte's alleged ties to construction

Marcotte has also been criticized for his alleged ties to the construction industry, especially his relationship with local contractor Normand Trudel.

Radio-Canada reported in 2010 that Trudel's company, Transport and Excavation Mascouche, shovelled money to Marcotte's political party in exchange for millions in municipal contracts over the past decade.

Trudel was arrested on Tuesday and his company is now the subject of a criminal investigation. He and Accurso are partners in a soil-treatment firm based in Mascouche.

Police will also be investigating BPR-Triax, an engineering firm, for corruption allegations steaming from work on municipal water systems on the North shore.

All of those arrested are expected to be released on Tuesday evening.