U.S. soldiers from Troop C, 4th Battalion, 14th Cavalry Regiment and Iraqi police discovered and seized a bumper crop of marijuana plants being cultivated in fields in northern Iraq, U.S. officials said Friday.

According to a military news release, the field contained “juvenile marijuana plants grown in a series of furrows. The owner claimed that he was growing sesame.”

The plants were cut down, put into piles and burned, officials said. The value of the marijuana was estimated at $2 million. The man who owned the field was arrested by the Iraqi police.

The 4th Battalion is part of the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, which has responsibility for most of northern Iraq.