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Cigarette smuggling in Panama is a highly complex illicit phenomenon that generates significant economic losses for the State due to tax evasion, distorts competition in the formal tobacco market, and exposes the population to serious public health risks. According to (Nielsen, 2024), the 96.2% of total cigarette consumption in the country comes from the illicit trade, representing a 12.2 percentage point increase compared to 2019, making Panama the country with the highest penetration of the illicit market in Central America. The objectives of this study are to show how the consumption of illegal cigarettes in the country has increased in recent years, identify the most frequently smuggled cigarette brands and their origins, and verify the effectiveness of inspections at the Divisa border crossing by analyzing intercepted shipments. The methodology employed was descriptive and non-experimental, based on a comprehensive document review, analysis of specialized secondary sources, and semi-structured interviews with officials from the Directorate of Customs Prevention and Control (DPFA) in Divisa. The results demonstrate that controls at the Divisa border crossing are insufficient given the volume and complexity of illicit distribution networks, which operate in conjunction with transnational organized crime. The four main limitations identified are: insufficient human and technological resources, increasingly sophisticated concealment techniques, a weak and inadequate sanctions framework, and vulnerability to corruption. The study concludes that strengthening the institutional capacity of the National Customs Authority in Divisa, updating the sanctions framework, and fostering inter-institutional cooperation are necessary conditions for reducing the incidence of this crime.
