Gatchalian raises concern over low tobacco smuggling conviction rate

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian expressed concern over the low conviction rate for tobacco smuggling cases by the Bureau of Customs (BOC), noting only two out of 1,295 seizures since 2018 have resulted in convictions.

Gatchalian highlighted during a Senate Committee on Ways and Means hearing on Wednesday that despite 1,296 operations against smugglers from 2018 to early 2025, only 64 cases were filed with the courts and eight reached court decisions.

BOC Assistant Commissioner Vincent Philip Maronilla acknowledged the data but noted challenges in proving ownership of intercepted packages and said multiple raids might have been consolidated into fewer cases for filing.

Gatchalian questioned the validity of consolidating over 1,296 raids into just 64 cases, emphasizing that prosecution coordination between BOC, BIR, and DOJ is lacking.

The senator noted more than 60% of the cases against tobacco smugglers have been dismissed, indicating a significant problem with current enforcement measures.