Why do popular and media representations of illicit economies – contraband, money laundering, drug trade, and so on – focus so strongly on masculinity? Moreover, why are the men who are understood to be at the centre of smuggling economies so often cast as violent villains? This chapter unpacks gendered tropes that have shaped both popular and scholarly approaches to illicit economies, and their cultural associations with masculine bravado. Using an in-depth ethnographic analysis of the role of smuggling in everyday life, particularly in domestic provisioning, the chapter develops a broader gendered analysis of the household as a key nexus in contraband economies. This approach challenges us to rethink the pervasive stereotypes about gendered roles and economic practices by highlighting women’s complex positions in smuggling.