A smuggler is someone who secretly and illegally moves goods or people across borders or past authorities. Smugglers hide what they're transporting because it's against the law: perhaps they're avoiding taxes, sneaking in forbidden items, or helping people cross borders without permission.

Throughout history, smugglers have operated wherever governments tried to control what could cross their borders. During America's Colonial period, smugglers brought in goods to avoid British taxes, and some of the Founding Fathers either smuggled or looked the other way when others did. During Prohibition in the 1920s, smugglers called bootleggers secretly transported illegal alcohol. Today, smugglers might try to move stolen artwork, endangered animals, or other contraband.

Smugglers smuggle their cargo in hidden compartments, under cover of darkness, or disguised as something innocent. They rely on secrecy and deception.

While some smugglers in history claimed they were fighting unjust laws, smuggling remains illegal and often dangerous. Pirates and smugglers sometimes worked together in the old days, and modern smuggling often connects to serious crime. Border patrol agents and customs officers work to catch smugglers and inspect cargo at ports and crossings.