Operation Intercept

President Nixon deployed approximately 2,000 US Customs agents to execute zero-tolerance inspections at the US-Mexico border, subjecting every crossing vehicle to a mandatory three-minute search. Mexico was estimated to supply 80% of US marijuana at the time.

The operation lasted only 20 days but caused massive economic disruption on both sides. Cannabis seizure statistics were far below expectations. It was replaced by “Operation Cooperation,” a bilateral anti-drug agreement, but it established the template for using border pressure as diplomatic leverage on drug policy.

According to Kate Doyle of the National Security Archive, the operation succeeded for Nixon on three levels: he gained law-and-order credibility, forced Mexico to bend to US demands, and launched a war on drugs that would persist for decades.