Three accused drug traffickers attempted to smuggle $15.5 million worth of heroin from Vietnam to Brisbane where they intended to pack the drug inside the door panels of a rented station wagon and drive it to Victoria.

Their plan was ultimately foiled by customs officers but the details of their operation have been revealed in court documents.

A wooden altar allegedly used to smuggle heroin into Brisbane.

On a Tuesday morning in November last year a cargo ship from Vietnam with more than 58 kilograms of heroin on board arrived at the Port of Brisbane.

The drug was packed inside 78 packages hidden in the bases of two ornate, wooden church altars.