Police have found another huge heroin stash believed to be linked to the North Korean freighter, Pong Su.
Australian Federal Police (AFP) revealed that on May 7 they found 75kg of heroin buried in bushes about 15km west of the Victorian coastal town of Lorne.
Police believe it was unloaded from the Pong Su at the same time as 50kg of heroin seized at Lorne on April 16.
It appeared to be identical in form and packaging to the earlier drug seizure, they said.
Thirty-four men are facing charges in Melbourne over the importation after Australian special forces troops and police intercepted the North Korean freighter off the Australian coast on April 20.
The seizure of drugs has caused a diplomatic row, with the federal government giving Pyongyang's ambassador a dressing down because of the alleged involvement of North Korean officials in the trafficking.
The latest drug find takes the total quantity of drugs seized in the operation to 125kg, which has an estimated street value of $220 million.
Police say it is the largest seizure of heroin in Victoria and the sixth largest seizure in Australia.
Working with Australian Customs and Victorian, Tasmanian and NSW police, the AFP found the first, 50kg shipment of drugs in a vehicle stopped in Lorne on April 16.
Four days later, the North Korean ship Pong Su was intercepted by Australian authorities at sea, 35km south-east of the NSW city of Newcastle.
"At the time of the original seizure, we were aware that more heroin had possibly been off-loaded during the (Lorne) landing," AFP general manager southern region Graham Ashton said.
"As a result of extensive searches by AFP and Victoria Search and Rescue and ongoing police inquiries, we located three packages of heroin buried less than two kilometres from Boggaley Creek, the alleged landing site for the drugs," he said.
"We will allege that this latest haul was offloaded from the Pong Su on 15 April along with the 50kg seized originally," he said.
Mr Ashton said it was lucky no one else had found the second drug shipment.
"It was fairly visible once undergrowth had been removed so there wasn't a serious attempt made to conceal the heroin," he said.
