Simple question, and simple answer. It ain't easy! Smuggling artifacts is tough. Try staying out of the trade lanes and use your burners to take patrol routes. If anyone searches you and you don't drop them, you're toast. Best is to take the loss and drop them, and live for another time. If you are near a planet or base, and they catch you, immediately dock at the base or planet. You have some time before they turn red on you, and you can usually get into the dock before they nail you. After you've sold them, they'll scan you coming out, and your cargo hold is clear and they'll let you go.
There are plenty of non-smuggling commodities to make good money on. Check out the spoiler forum for suggestions on how to make good money that way. This way if you're scannned, they'll leave you alone. That is, of course, if the faction is friendly. If they're hostile, they'll shoot you anyway. If they're low-neutral, they'll most likely demand you drop the cargo. Try dropping the cargo, them immediately tractoring it back in. It gets them seriously p/o'd. Then run for it!!!

Again, best place to look for hints and tips is the spoiler forum, because any good tips and tricks are allowed there.

I noticed that if you switch what section (Liberty, Kusari, etc.) you are in, it is somewhat easier because you can distribute the "hostileness" of the police/military. And after the pirates don't attack you try to stay as close as the illegal patrol routes as you can untill you can't any more because if you do get attacked then there might be some other "illegals" on the way.

hmm...usually when I was flying contraband and someone asked to scan me I docked with a planet or tradelane asap, then if a message came up tellingme to drop my contraband I just waited till I was docked and then declined. As far as I can remember my rep didnt change that much.

Do you mean in SP or MP generally? For SP, it often depends on luck. Much like smuggling in reality! If they give you the option, do not click accept or decline, simply fly to the nearest base and dock. Not clicking anything will buy you some time but they will eventually come after you.


In MP, well it's a lot harder. You're going to be dealing with human AI. A bribe would not go astray but stick to unorthodox routes through systems. It is very very hard to find one person in a system if they know what they're doing. It's mostly used against me by traders who won't pay tax but I've used it to escape server police. E.g. travel along the very eastern/western/northern/southern boundary of the nav-map.

The Sirian Rogues, Scourge of the Sirius.
Unprotected Trade Convoy freight, is our freight >

"My precious loot...." -- Liberty Rogue

So many people overlook simply traveling above or below the plane of a system. Travel 20k or so up or down, and no one will EVER find you.

I find that as soon as the pop up screen comes on i find immediately dropping your cargo , mean that the scanner does not pick up any illegal merchandise. As soon as the message is completed just tractor in your cargo.

I agree with Zapp Brannigan. And you get cool screen shot flying the NX-01 Enterprise up there.