GRAND RONDE, Ore. -- An interagency drug team seized thousands of poppy plants that were discovered growing on tribal lands Friday.

The plants were found growing in multiple plots in a clear-cut area and ranged in size from 1 to 4 feet in height. A total of 12,056 plants were seized by detectives, deputies said.

The Yamhill County Interagency Narcotics Team raided the illegal poppy plant grow site in rural Yamhill County with the help of the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office and McMinnville police.

The plants were discovered by employees of the Confederate Tribes of Grand Ronde.

"They shouldn't disrespect our lands like that," said Ed Bolton Jr., a tribal member. "This is a sacred hill up there. That's where we put our elders that pass on."

The poppy plant is used to make heroin and opium. The estimated street value of the opium contained in the plants was approximately $45,000.

The case remains under investigation.

Slideshow: Drug Team Seizes 12,000 Poppy Plants

Drug Team Seizes 12,000 Poppy Plants