Narc (Narcotics)

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Nark redirects here. For other uses of narc or nark, see NARC.

A narc, also spelled nark, (a contraction of "narcotic agent") is a term for a narcotics agent or police informant who provides information to the police about drug offenders. It is often used to refer to undercover agents, rather than police officers. Some drug offenders, once caught, turn into informants as part of an agreement with the police to avoid charges.

Narc can also refer to an informant, usually a police informant, and does not necessarily have to be related to narcotics.

One commonly believed falsehood states that the best way to tell if a person is a narc is to offer him or her drugs and see if it is accepted. However, the Supreme Court has ruled that undercover officers may, in the performance of their duties, use drugs. This narc-identification method has failed several times on well-publicized COPS episodes.