Thread: traffic in and smuggle

What is the difference between traffic in and smuggle?

I think smuggling gives more of a feeling of something being moved in, that is, "He smuggled drugs across the border." But if you "traffic" in something, it's more general "He trafficed in drugs." You can't say "He trafficed drugs across the border." But you can say "He smuggled drugs."

I don't speak English very well Perhaps one of the European polyglots can enlighten us...

You can "traffic in" and "smuggle" pretty much anything. Both usually refer to something illegal, and involve crossing a border of some kind. The only difference I can think of is that "traffic in" has more of a connotation of an organized operation, while "smuggling" is more secret. I would say they both mean pretty much the same thing.

Originally Posted by emka71aln

You can "traffic in" and "smuggle" pretty much anything. Both usually refer to something illegal, and involve crossing a border of some kind. The only difference I can think of is that "traffic in" has more of a connotation of an organized operation, while "smuggling" is more secret. I would say they both mean pretty much the same thing.

Not necessarily crossing a border. "Smuggling" literally means taking something illegal from one place to another. "Traffic in" just means to do business in something illegal.