Surete du Quebec officers raided five companies in and around Montreal Thursday as part of the ongoing probe of the construction industry.
Louisbourg cement, owned by Tony Accurso, was one of the companies inspected, as was Katana Construction in Brossard, and several other firms.
Officers insisted Thursday's operation "Fiche" was not about making arrests, but instead a search for contracts which can verify allegations of collusion.
"We are looking for contracts if they are legal or not," said SQ officer Marc Butz. "That's the part of Fiche, if the contracts are legal."
After the raids officers refused to say exactly what they had found.
SQ Sgt. Martine Isabelle says there will not be any arrests, explaining that police are only gathering information as they investigate possible collusion and intimidation.
Operation Fiche is the second phase of a probe that began last fall to examine allegations of election-fixing, municipal corruption, defrauding the government and buying or selling a contract.
Corruption
Operation Hammer was launched last October after media reports revealed that many contractors had found ways to exclude competitors from bidding on public contracts.
Media reports suggested construction companies worked together to drive up the price of public-works contracts, sharing profits with the Mafia and illegally funding political parties.
Companies that submitted cheaper bids without the cartel's approval were allegedly threatened.
The province then launched Operation Hammer -- a $26.8 million investigation involving provincial police, Crown prosecutors, the federal Competition Bureau and the Mounties -- in an effort to crack down on the alleged practice.
Hotline
Police have also set up a hotline that people can call anonymously to report corruption allegations.
That number is 1-888-444-1701.
About 190 people have called the hotline so far.
