An İstanbul court has jailed pending trial 40 executives from large fruit and vegetable distributors over claims that they helped drive up prices, Turkish media reported on Saturday.

The Organized Crime Investigations Bureau of the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office is handling a probe called “The Price Journey from Farm to Market.”

Prosecutors issued detention warrants for 41 executives, with police still looking for one suspect.

Police searched 109 homes and businesses in 22 provinces.

Investigators requested data on the suspects’ produce sales from the Turkish Competition Board, Turkey’s Ministry of Trade and wholesale market offices in İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Mersin and Antalya.

Turkey’s Tax Inspection Board (VDK) also collected statements from 1,029 farmers.

Prosecutors claim the executives caused “excessive pricing,” but they have not disclosed how much of the price increase came from the companies’ conduct.

Justice Minister Akın Gürlek announced the investigation on September 15 and said the government would pursue people who manipulate prices for profit.

The government of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has often blamed opportunism and price manipulation for Turkey’s food inflation.

Research by the Turkish Central Bank shows that produce prices reflect conditions across the supply chain.

One central bank study cited intermediaries, transport, storage, packaging, sorting and product losses as cost factors.

A separate 2015 study by the bank found that a 2012 law reducing the role of intermediaries lowered wholesale fruit and vegetable prices but did not produce a similar drop in retail prices.

Other central bank findings link fresh food prices to weather, crop output, energy and transportation costs, indicating that prosecutions alone may not lower prices for consumers.