Legal analysis: illegal. Smuggling salt, in different historical periods, it is illegal to sell smuggled salt. Smuggling salt is illegal because it is also related to people's health. Salt is a franchise commodity, and the government has formulated very strict management measures for salt industry. According to China's "Regulations on Salt Industry Management" and "Measures for Salt Monopoly", the state implements a fixed-point production system and mandatory plan management for salt production, and private enterprises and individuals are not allowed to develop salt resources. There is no such crime in China's criminal law, but the sale of smuggled salt belongs to the crime of "dealing in franchise, monopoly goods or other goods whose sale is restricted by laws and administrative regulations without permission" stipulated in the criminal law. If the circumstances are serious, it constitutes the crime of illegal business operation stipulated in China's criminal law.

Legal basis: Article 225 of the Criminal Law of People's Republic of China (PRC), in violation of state regulations, commits one of the following illegal business operations, disrupting market order, and if the circumstances are serious, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than five years or criminal detention, and shall also, or shall only, be fined not less than one time but not more than five times the illegal income; If the circumstances are especially serious, he shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than five years, and shall also be fined not less than one time but not more than five times his illegal income or his property shall be confiscated: (1) dealing in franchise, monopoly goods or other commodities whose business is restricted by laws and administrative regulations without permission; (2) buying and selling import and export licenses, import and export certificates of origin and other business licenses or approval documents stipulated by laws and administrative regulations; (three) without the approval of the relevant competent departments of the state, illegally engaged in securities, futures, insurance business, or illegally engaged in fund payment and settlement business; (four) other illegal business activities that seriously disrupt the market order.