To curb illicit trade in the country, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) confiscated smuggled goods valued at ₱34.7 billion from January to August 2025.

These were seized through 653 operations involving items tied to illegal trade, Assistant Commissioner Vincent Philip C. Maronilla reported during his luncheon meeting with the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (ECCP) on Tuesday, Sept. 30.

Of the total, the highest-value seized commodities were assorted goods worth ₱20.2 billion. This was followed by wildlife and natural resources at ₱4.8 billion, illegal drugs at ₱4.6 billion, cigarettes, tobacco, and vape products at ₱2.1 billion, and counterfeit items at ₱1.4 billion.

To note, the year-to-date value of seized smuggled products was only equivalent to 40.7 percent of last year’s ₱85.2 billion. That amount of confiscated goods came from 2,116 operations aimed at curbing various forms of smuggling across the country.

Maronilla told reporters on the sidelines of the event that the lower haul is mainly due to the suspension of their authority to issue letters of authority (LOAs), which previously allowed enforcement operations outside Customs premises.

He further said that the LOA power will be reinstated, but with safeguards to prevent abuse. For now, enforcement is focused on addressing complaints rather than matching last year’s seizure totals.

Looking ahead, Maronilla told reporters that he expects Customs’ anti-smuggling haul to reach about ₱60 billion this year.

However, he stressed that the BOC does not want to measure success based on the value of seized goods alone, but on feedback from consumers and stakeholders.

“When [the LOA power] is back, we’re not keen on catching up. Whatever the figure is, what’s important for us is that the industry feels that we’re doing something and that there’s a reduction of the effect of smuggling in their particular fields, especially in intellectual property, most particularly [agricultural products],” he told reporters.

Maronilla also reported that the BOC has stepped up its enforcement campaign against trade law violators, revoking the accreditation of 40 importers and customs brokers during the eight-month period.

This move is part of its broader effort to weed out noncompliant players and tighten oversight of import transactions.

From January to August, the BOC’s action team against smugglers filed 36 criminal complaints with the Department of Justice (DOJ) against importers and brokers for violating the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) and other related laws.

From July to August alone, the BOC conducted 128 seizure operations covering an estimated ₱2.4 billion worth of illicit goods. Among the major operations was one on Aug. 22 in Plaridel, Bulacan, where authorities uncovered smuggled cigarettes valued at ₱605.3 million — the largest cigarette haul so far this year.

Meanwhile, in the first seven months of 2025, the BOC generated ₱1.5 billion in non-traditional revenue through the Post Clearance Audit Group (PCAG) and ₱43.3 million from public auctions.

As per the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr), the country’s second-largest revenue agency has raked in ₱621.4 billion since January, 1.1 percent higher than last year’s ₱614.4 billion. The Treasury said this uptick was driven by the bureau’s efforts against illicit trade.