narcokleptocracy

nar·co·klep·to·cra·cy
UK/ˈnɑːkəʊklɛpˈtɒkɹəsi/US/ˈnɑɹkoʊˌklɛpˈtɑkɹəsi/

noun

Drug lords and others involved in organized crime as a dominant group in society; the influence or rule exerted by this group.

First used 20th c.Scrabble 31

Meanings

nounnarcokleptocracy (plural narcokleptocracies)

plural narcokleptocracies

  1. rareDrug lords and others involved in organized crime as a dominant group in society; the influence or rule exerted by this group.First known use 20th c.
  2. rareA government influenced by such persons; a narcocracy.First known use 20th c.

    I knew how eager they [new recruits to the All Burma Students' Democratic Front] were to fight the Burma Army, which they perceived as no better than a private army protecting Ne Win's narcokleptocracy.

    2000, Shelby Tucker, Among Insurgents: Walking through Burma, London; New York, N.Y.: The Radcliffe Press, →ISBN, page 80
    1 more example

    As head of the PDF [Panamanian Defense Forces], [Manuel] Noriega now controlled all elements of the Panamanian government essential to the protection of drug trafficking and money laundering, thus accomplishing two goals simultaneously—increasing his control over Panama and enriching himself. Noriega had turned Panama's political system into what one witness termed a "narcokleptocracy," a political system in which Panamanian government became controlled by personal loyalties to Noriega, cemented by graft and corruption, and substantially funded with narcotics money.

    1988 December, Subcommittee on Terrorism, Narcotics and International Operations, Committee on Foreign Relations, United States Senate, “Panama”, in Drugs, Law Enforcement and Foreign Policy: A Report (S. Prt.; 100-165), Washington, D.C.: United States Government Printing Office, published 1989, →OCLC, archived from the original on 07 Oct 2016, page 83

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekναρκόω (narkóō)
  2. Englishnarco-
  3. Englishkleptocracy
  4. Englishnarcokleptocracy

From narco- (“of or pertaining to narcotics or their trade and use”) + kleptocracy (“corrupt and dishonest government characterised by greed”).

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

narcokleptocracy. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/narcokleptocracy

MLA

“narcokleptocracy.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/narcokleptocracy. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “narcokleptocracy,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/narcokleptocracy.

Source: narcokleptocracy on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.