bootleggers

Noun

bootlegger (plural bootleggers)

1. One who is illegally a producer and/or trader of goods, especially of alcohol.
   • His sermon was a forthright denunciation of sin, an austere declaration of the motto on the wall behind him: he warned his flock against the evils of heady brews, gambling, and strange women. Bootleggers caused enough trouble in the Quarters, but women were worse.1960 July 11, Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird, Philadelphia, Pa.; New York, N.Y.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott Company, →OCLC
2. One who breaks intellectual property laws by reproducing protected works without permission.

   Synonyms:

   pirate

3. A miner who mines illegally.