The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word NARCS
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
N
A
R
C
S
More clues leading to the result NARCS
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "drug cops in America" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case drug cops in america = narcs.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does NARCS mean?
NARCS noun- A narcotics squad police officer.
- (underwater diving) To suffer from impaired judgment due to nitrogen narcosis (for example, while scuba diving).
- A narcissist.
- A police spy or informer.
- An unpleasant person, especially one who makes things difficult for others.
- To watch; to observe.
- To serve or behave as a spy or informer.
- To annoy or irritate.
- To complain.
- (often imperative) To stop.