bootleggers

Bootleggers are individuals or groups that illegally produce, distribute, or sell regulated or prohibited goods. The term is most closely associated with the illicit alcohol trade in the United States during Prohibition (1920–1933), but it can also apply to the illegal copying or trafficking of other goods, including music, films, or counterfeit merchandise.

During Prohibition, bootleggers supplied speakeasies and other illicit venues, often by smuggling in liquor from abroad or by illegal distillation and bottling. They operated in networks ranging from small itinerant operators to large organized crime syndicates, and their activities helped sustain criminal enterprises and corruption.

Common methods included hidden stills, concealed shipments, front businesses, bribery, and cross-border smuggling. The trade relied on flexible distribution channels, including night-time shipments, masked deliveries, and counterfeit labeling to evade authorities and tax collection.

Law enforcement responses—limited at first, but increasingly coordinated—drove the illicit market underground and contributed to organized crime growth. The repeal of Prohibition in 1933 reduced demand for bootleg liquor and decreased profits, though illegal alcohol production persisted in some areas and illicit markets diversified.

In modern usage, bootlegging can refer to illegal production or distribution of regulated goods such as alcohol or cigarettes, as well as the unauthorized production or distribution of copyrighted media and branded merchandise. The term remains a generic label for illicit supply chains that bypass regulation and taxation.