The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word BANDITRY
I've seen this crossword clue in The Times
B
A
N
D
I
T
R
Y
More clues leading to the result BANDITRY
- Group I’m having a go at for law-breaking
- Piracy from group I hear
- Group of robbers I legally examine for gang activity
- Bishop and I attempt to end gang activity
- Criminal activity by pop group, I hear
- Criminal behaviour from musicians I hear
- Group I bring to court for gang crimes
- Dreadful bind, getting a taste for illegal activity
- Stealing billion with one attempt
- Gang — it may go by rail for criminal activity
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "law-breaking" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case law-breaking = banditry.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.