You can do it more than once. I've failed about 4 times now because they always seem to offer it to me in Ix where I get dragged down by lag. The last time I just got out of Ix, but was caught in the great hole to Ix area, again due to lag. Sigh. Kinda wish they'd offer it in less crowded locations.
Sunburst - they do offer it in less crowded locations - I can't remember where I was last week but the little smuggler suddenly appeared and it took me aback for a second as I was no where near East/West Spice.
I have received one in Jethimadh, one in Shimla Mirch and numerous in IX (specifically East Spice) ... I was surprised I kept getting offered the quest considering I was failing it each time.. My record is about 3 out of 8 tries!!
Got screwed over by lag today; I was at a signpost attempting to go to the next area... 5 seconds... 10 seconds... 15 seconds and the lizard shows up... bam, caught. Ugh. You can't do ANYTHING when that happens. Total pain in the rear.
I've succeeded about 5 times and lost twice. It's pretty easy unless the game freezes up.
It's just luck to get a smuggler quest, though it seems that only some streets are places where there's a chance to get one.
I nearly got lagged and caught on my smuggling run today, but not quite! The reward was mine in the end. Can't recall exactly where I got my invitation, but it wasn't anywhere mentioned above. Bortola somewhere I think.
I noticed that the deimaginator won't teleport (or whatever that shiny portal in the ground thing he does is) if you stay within a certain distance of him (a screen or two's worth?), so if you just walk slowly enough, he won't keep on popping up randomly in front of you as you walk.
Even with a bit o'lag, last smuggling mission I managed to pet piggies, water trees, milk a few butterflies, even mine a little...and then whenever he'd enter my screen, I'd walk away a bit more. But not too far. ;) He never would try to teleport closer to me (you don't hear the portal noises) and he would just walk at his slow steady pace, which made him easy to jump over or just walk further away from.
Perhaps that spoils the urgency of the mission, but it was a lot of fun to watch the super-serious lizard slowly stalking towards me as I went along my merry smuggling way.
Yes! I finally completed it! :D Did what Muffin suggested and kept stopping every few steps to stay slow and keep him about a screen away. I didn't have the time to pet or water or anything, but I managed to get it done, hooray!
I got it in Flipside in beta, IIRC, and when I got to Gilberto Gamera Way, I made the mistake of jumping down the stairs... never even saw the deimaginator, but he me got nonetheless. Haven't gotten it again since.
this is annoying me now. i'm up to level 35, and have still never even seen a smuggler. yet some of you say you've done the mission 8 times! what am i doing wrong? where do i need to go?