trafficker
trafficker — noun
1. a person who makes money by dealing in products that are against the law (such a
a person who makes money by dealing in products that are against the law (such as illegal drugs) or by buying and selling human beings and forcing them to work for little or no money
Police arrested a known drug trafficker near the port after a six-month investigation.
collocation: drug trafficker / known trafficker
Human traffickers often trick young people with false promises of well-paid jobs abroad.
pattern: human trafficker + trick + with + [false promise]
The trafficker was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for smuggling goods across the border.
International agencies share intelligence to track down traffickers who operate across multiple countries.
Niran's report revealed how traffickers force their victims to work without pay in dangerous conditions.
- drug dealer
narrower — only refers to someone selling illegal drugs, not people or weapons
- smuggler
focuses on moving goods secretly across borders; a trafficker may also be a smuggler, but smuggling does not always involve selling
- slave trader
historical term now applied to modern human trafficking; strongly emphasises ownership and forced labour
- kingpin
refers to the leader of a large criminal organisation, not just any trafficker; implies higher rank and control
文法句型
trafficker + in + [goods/people]
modifier + trafficker
用法筆記
Almost always paired with a modifier such as drug, human, or arms that specifies what is being traded illegally. Used alone, the word most often refers to drug trafficking in news contexts.