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The first person accused of the strawberry needle crisis is expected to face a Brisbane court after spending the night behind bars.
The 50-year-old woman is scheduled to appear in Brisbane's trial court on Monday morning on seven charges of contaminating the goods, the police said.
This comes exactly two months after Queensland Health officials issued a safety warning when sewing needles were found concealed in a strawberry slip.
Dozens of other syringe discoveries in strawberries, apples and other fruits in the six states have triggered the investigation for several months under the guidance of the Queensland police.
Police say the accused faces a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment if found guilty, one of the charges alleging aggravation.
Detective Superintendent Jon Wacker said the investigation was "major and unprecedented … with many of the complexities involved."
"The Queensland police have allocated a significant amount of resources to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice," he said on Sunday.
"Although the investigation is far from over, I would like to acknowledge the tireless efforts of our investigators as well as members of all other Australian agencies who have played a role."
The Queensland Strawberry Growers Association has hailed the arrest of this woman and called on the copiers to also face the charges.
"It was a crisis caused by social media and the only real victims were the strawberry producers and, to some extent, other Australian fruit producers and exporters," he said in a statement. a statement.
In September, a man from South Australia was charged with reporting false strawberry contamination to the local police, while police interviewed children from Western Australia and New Wales. South with similar incidents.