A woman has been arrested in Queensland in connection with the “strawberry scare” where sewing needles were found hidden inside the fruit.
Police said the 50-year-old was arrested on Sunday “following a complex and extensive investigation”.
The woman is expected to face unspecified charges. The woman is expected to be charged this evening and will appear in the Brisbane Magistrates Court tomorrow.
A nationwide investigation was launched after shocked shoppers first reported the contamination in September.
There were over 100 reports of needles being found in strawberries, though many were suspected to be copycat cases or social media stunts.
Farmers were forced to dump tonnes of berries, and supermarkets pulled the fruit off sale.
The first cases emerged in Queensland, where a man was taken to hospital with stomach pains after eating strawberries.
An investigation into the crisis has been on-going for months, with the Queensland Police Service coordinating a national response.
The public was first notified about the contamination on September 12.
Police did not reveal any further details, including what the charges would be or the reasons and motives behind her alleged involvement.
The sabotage crisis led supermarkets to pull the fruit from the shelves and saw farmers dump tones of the unwanted berry. The government raised the maximum prison sentence for fruit tampering from 10 to 15 years.
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