Farm at the centre of strawberry saboteur crisis is owned by convicted drug trafficker Pat Cufari

One of the businesses caught in the middle of the strawberry sabotage crisis is a convicted drug trafficker who was probed by mafia investigators in the 1990s.

Donnybrook Berries, a fruit and packaging business located near Caboolture, north of Brisbane, is owned by Pasquale ‘Pat’ Cufari.

Mr Cufari, originally from Mildura, Victoria, served five years in jail for drug trafficking, and was named in an Australian Crime Commission report in 2003. 

Pictured is a video from Stephanie Chheang, who posted to Facebook saying her mother and stepfather own Donnybrook Berries)

Men spoken to at the Cufari family home in Mildura said that the business owner was in Queensland, and denied requests for comment, Fairfax Media reported.

Mr Cufari was among the targets of a National Criminal Authority investigation in the 1990s into mafia activity in the region.

Then in 2003 his name appeared in a confidential report on organised crime by the Australian Crime Commission.

Earlier this week, Stephanie Chheang posted a heartbreaking video to Facebook that showed harvested strawberries being dumped from a loader by the company.

‘This is no doubt the worst thing to ever happen to my family. This is worth more than you could ever imagine and within three days we lost it all,’ she said.

The business was forced to dump millions of strawberries in a ditch after the brand was recalled from supermarkets.

‘We have to throw them out because the markets wouldn’t take our strawberries due to the needle scare,’ she said.

Ms Chheang, who said her mother and stepfather own Donnybrook Berries, said the business spent years and ‘all their money’ building the farm, only for it to be wiped out.

‘They put all their money and effort in to build such a successful business. They work hard to make the money for our family and to have these selfish individuals destroy it is just so upsetting.

‘My mum works day through to the night, controlling the shed and her 250 employees, making sure her strawberries are packed to perfection.’ 

Stephanie Chheang, whose mother and stepfather run Donnybrook Berries, shared a heartbreaking video of harvested fruit being dumped from a loader

Stephanie Chheang, whose mother and stepfather run Donnybrook Berries, shared a heartbreaking video of harvested fruit being dumped from a loader

The fruit contamination scandal has spread throughout the entire country (pictured is a contaminated strawberry bought from Coles in Wingham, NSW)

The fruit contamination scandal has spread throughout the entire country (pictured is a contaminated strawberry bought from Coles in Wingham, NSW)

Owner of the two other brands at the heart of the scandal, Kevin Tran, said he had nothing to do with the Donnybrook operation and handles his berries himself.

The Berrylicious and Berry Obsession brands boss said he is unsure who is responsible for hiding the small metal objects inside the strawberries. 

‘I don’t know, because the problem is there’s so many people handling the fruit all the time, and packing, so I cannot say where it happened,’ he told Nine News.

He claimed to be ‘devastated’ by the scandal, which has affected both his farm and the entire strawberry industry.

‘I don’t know anything, at this stage, I don’t know anything, I’m like you guys, I want to find out,’ he said. 

Berrylicious and Berry Obsession brands boss Kevin Tran (pictured) said he is unsure who is responsible for hiding the small metal objects inside the strawberries

Berrylicious and Berry Obsession brands boss Kevin Tran (pictured) said he is unsure who is responsible for hiding the small metal objects inside the strawberries

A five-year-old girl was the latest victim of the fruit contamination scandal that has taken the country by storm 

A five-year-old girl was the latest victim of the fruit contamination scandal that has taken the country by storm 

The news comes as over 100 people across the country have found needles in their strawberries.

Queensland police are now offering $100,000 for information about who could be behind the sabotage that has left the business scared for the future.

A five-year-old girl was the latest victim of the fruit contamination scandal that has taken the country by storm.

Cairns mother Samantha Gray said her daughter Bella discovered the contaminated strawberry after finding it on the kitchen counter.

Posting to Facebook, Ms Gray said: ‘I had all intentions of chopping them up before consuming. Bella helped herself when I wasn’t looking and bit straight into it.’

The latest case is the first uncovered in the Northern Territory, and comes as police investigate more than 100 reports of contaminated fruit around the country.

Five-year-old Bella Gray (pictured) from Cairns has become the latest victim of the fruit contamination scandal after she bit into a strawberry containing a needle.

Her mother Samantha Gray said she burst into tears after checking her daughter’s mouth in the fear she had been injured by the spiked strawberry

Farmers have been forced to destroy their strawberry produce en masse as incidents continue to be reported – with Queensland farmers announcing huge job losses on Tuesday.

New South Wales Police announced on Thursday they are now DNA testing needles and packaging in a bid to catch copycat offenders who are sabotaging fruit.

The federal government also rushed ‘tough new penalties’ through Parliament on Friday so those sabotaging fruit would face jail terms of up to 15 years.

There will also be a new offence of being reckless in causing harm, which will carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. 

Where have the contaminated fruit been found?

September 9 – Brisbane man rushed to hospital after eating punnet of strawberries containing needle

September 10 – Woman from Gladstone, Queensland finds needle in strawberry 

September 13 – Thin metal object found in Gatton, Queensland  

September 14 –  Chantal Faugeras find needle in punnet in Wingham

September 15 – Coles shopper finds contaminated punnet in Engadine, Sydney 

September 16 – Contamination spreads to South Australia after a pin is found in Mal’s Black Label brand

September 17 – Tasmania Police investigate contamination claims in Hobart

Man reports finding needle in his sink while preparing strawberries to police near Perth 

September 18 – Police confirm another needle was found in a strawberry in Wagga Wagga by a student at Wagga Public School

September 19 – Coles customer on the NSW Central Coast finds needle embedded inside mango

Student finds needle inside banana at a school in Newcastle – luckily before she bites into it 

September 21 – Northern Territory Police announce first strawberry contamination case in Darwin

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk