[SandRat]

When Booze was banned NY was the Nat. smuggling hub.

[Calvin Locke]

Well, if you're going to smuggle a desirable product, you might as well do it in a population-dense area to have the greatest number of bids for the limited product, driving up the price.

Of course, that will only encourage "competition", and hence the resulting "hub".

[oh8eleven]

When Booze was banned NY was the Nat. smuggling hub.
My grandfather lived in Rochester, and he would talk about taking "recreational" boat trips across Lake Ontario to Canada.
Never mentioned smuggling per se, but that's the impression I got.