A Batangas court has convicted two men for selling and distributing counterfeit cigarettes, underscoring the government’s continuing efforts to combat illicit tobacco trade across the country.

In a decision from September 2025, the Regional Trial Court of Lipa City found Gilmor Catapang and Jovert Delos Santos guilty of violating Sections 155.1 (Trademark Infringement) and 168.3 (Unfair Competition) of Republic Act No. 8293, otherwise known as the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.

The conviction stemmed from four consolidated criminal cases involving the sale and distribution of fake cigarette products in Barangay Poblacion, Padre Garcia, Batangas, on September 11, 2023. According to court records, the two men were found selling counterfeit cigarettes designed to imitate legitimate brands and mislead consumers into believing they were genuine.

Authorities seized counterfeit goods with a total estimated value exceeding P800,000.

Catapang and Delos Santos were each sentenced to two years of imprisonment per case and fined P50,000 per case, or a total of P200,000 in penalties. The court also ordered the destruction of the confiscated counterfeit cigarettes by October 2025.

The Batangas conviction adds to a growing list of recent cases nationwide as authorities intensify efforts against the rising incidence of cases involving counterfeit cigarettes and tax evasion in tobacco sales.

In May 2025, police operatives in Malabon City arrested a suspected trader for allegedly selling about P2 million worth of illicit cigarette products. In July 2025, another individual was caught and convicted of selling fake cigarette brands valued at roughly P1.4 million.

Larger operations have also been uncovered in other parts of the country. In Bulacan and Valenzuela, raids in late 2024 led to the discovery of factories and warehouses producing counterfeit cigarettes with an estimated tax liability of P8.5 billion.

In Cebu, a separate operation in October 2024 yielded counterfeit internal revenue stamps, machinery, and more than 44,000 packs of fake cigarettes, with a reported tax liability of P107.7 million.

Meanwhile, in Negros Occidental, authorities arrested five traders in July 2025 for allegedly selling P4.7 million worth of illegal cigarette products.

Law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), have intensified efforts against counterfeit tobacco products, warning that the illicit trade continues to expose consumers to unregulated goods while also depriving the government of billions in excise taxes that contribute to the funding of essential government programs.