Smuggling is as much a cat-mouse game as regular trading, albeit a more hardcore version as if police catches you they can ask both cargo and cash while pirates can only ask for either, but then in both cases you can just as well fly away from traffic to trade profit for safety. Saying smuggling adds nothing to the game is an ignorant statement, regular trading isn't much better, and mining is only a bit of circlejerking more among a few players for some extra profit.