Divinely Inspired Drug Mules

During a recent gathering, my family began reminiscing about their various missions.

One family member who'd served in South America remarked that when he was on his mission the church used missionaries to sneak medicine through customs.  Another relative replied, "They used you guys as drug mules?!"  

The second one was joking.  But I don't get the joke.  As honorable as it may seem, and as good as the church's intentions could have been, "drug mule" still sounds like a pretty accurate description to me.  I didn't say this, of course, but the first thing that popped into my head during this discussion was Joseph Smith's twelfth article of faith, which every self-respecting Mormon is acutely familiar with:

We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

...except the laws of Argentina.  I don't understand how this doesn't bother my family.  How does someone see the church contradicting its own principles and simply find it amusing?

That doesn't seem right to me.