The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 5 letter word MULES
I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
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More clues leading to the result MULES
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "They smuggle another’s drugs in/shoes" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case they smuggle another’s drugs in/shoes = mules.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.
What does MULES mean?
MULES noun- The generally sterile male or female hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse.
- The generally sterile hybrid offspring of any two species of animals.
- A hybrid plant.
- A stubborn person.
- A person paid to smuggle drugs.
- A coin or medal minted with obverse and reverse designs not normally seen on the same piece, either intentionally or in error.
- A MMORPG character, or NPC companion in a tabletop RPG, used mainly to store extra inventory for the owner's primary character.
- Any of a group of cocktails involving ginger ale or ginger beer, citrus juice, and various liquors.
- A kind of triangular sail for a yacht.
- A kind of cotton-spinning machine.
- To smuggle (illegal drugs).
- A shoe that has no fitting or strap around the heel, but which covers the foot.
- To remove skin from (an animal) to prevent myiasis.