illicit trade
Contraband commerce underground
Illicit trade is the buying and selling of goods or services that violates law—smuggling contraband, trafficking in stolen property, or evading taxes and tariffs.
The term covers everything from drug trafficking and weapons dealing to counterfeit goods and illegal wildlife products: Illicit trade in endangered species threatens conservation efforts.
The phrase emphasizes the criminal nature of the commerce itself, not just what's being traded.
- black marketIllicit trading system
- smugglingIllegal covert transport
- drug traffickingIllegal distribution of controlled substances
- drugsTherapeutic chemical compounds
- counterfeitingMaking fake money
contraband · wildlife trafficking · cartel · human trafficking · arms trafficking · money laundering · ivory · organized crime · bootlegging · firearms · shell companies · offshore accounts · bribery · grey market · counterfeit goods · fake passports · kingpin · underground networks
- black marketblack market, smugglers, contraband, traffickers, bootleggers
- smugglingcontraband, smugglers, human smuggling, smuggling rings, people smuggling
- Tobacco Controlsmoking bans, smoking ban, health warnings, warning labels, cigarette tax
- arts lawart fraud, fair use, intellectual property, looted art, restitution claims
- underground economyblack market, shadow economy, cash in hand, off the books, under the table
- archaeologyexcavation, dig site, archaeologist, dig, archaeological digs