Did something criminal – unduly pleased with gamble initially under control (8)
I believe the answer is:
smuggled
'did something criminal unduly' is the definition.
I can't judge whether this defines the answer.
'pleased with gamble initially under control' is the wordplay.
'pleased with' becomes 'smug' (I can't justify this - if you can you should believe this answer much more).
'initially' says to take the initial letters.
'under control' becomes 'led' (I've seen this in other clues).
The initial letter of 'gamble' is 'g'.
'smug'+'g'+'led'='SMUGGLED'
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for smuggled that I've seen before include "avoided duties" , "Moved illicitly" , "Brought goods into country illegally" , "Ran contraband" , "Conveyed illicitly" .)