If you are yearning for true Cuban cigars then the best thing you can do is stay up-to-date with the news. For decades, Cuban cigars were considered an illegal product due to the tense relations between the United States and Cuba.
However, in the last 10 years there have been several changes. Previously, under the Obama administration, some of these regulations were relaxed including those on Cuban tobacco products. Obama announces a relaxation of the trade embargo. A partial lift of the US trade embargo on Cuba also lifts the limits on bringing in Cuban cigars for personal consumption. Online purchases and mail orders of Cuban tobacco products remain illegal. Trump announces a stronger stance on Cuban sanctions which prohibits any Cuban imports, including tobacco products.
The period of were a joyous time for cigar lovers. It was finally possible to smoke a true Cuban, again. Unfortunately, it is unclear whether this will be possible again anytime soon.
To understand why Cuban cigars are illegal in the United States you will have to dive into the history books. It is a matter of political relations between Cuba and the United States.
It does not concern the product itself. For political reasons which kicked off in the s, the US and Cuba have had a tense relationship. This relationship seemed to improve under the Obama administration. The exceptions on Cuban rum and tobacco products was a symbol of this. In short, it is not what is in Cuban cigars that makes them illegal but rather where they come from.
Those that have tried true Cohibas may tell you that they truly are different but that is not the reason why they are banned in the states. Even though Cuban cigars are banned from the United States, some still try to sneak them in. I'm thinking, 'holy shit, what did she do? It was a sickening feeling. Thompson didn't go to jail, but he doesn't bring cigars back anymore, either. Thompson has lost thousands of dollars in cigars, but has never been fined.
Under TWEA both civil and criminal fines may be imposed, although there are no strict guidelines or definite dollar amounts and most people end up just losing their cigars. Customs officials around the country concede that the amount of paperwork involved in processing one box of Cuban cigars is just too daunting. In addition, it's bad press if Customs starts to crack down on minor cigar smugglers while dope slips through the cracks.
Customs in San Diego. Jeff Casey, deputy special agent for U. Customs in San Diego, says that almost no case involving smuggled Cuban cigars would be likely to draw the attention of the U.
Attorney's office. A Customs official in Miami defines the problem: "It's not that people aren't concerned about Cuban cigars. But when you have minimums of 10 pounds of coke, 2, pounds of marijuana or five pounds of heroin [below which] the U.
Attorney's office won't even accept the case for federal prosecution--a box of cigars just pales by comparison. At other major ports of entry, such as Logan International Airport in Boston which receives daily international flights from Geneva , a Customs official claims that Cuban cigars have never been a headache because, to his knowledge, none have ever been seized.
The story is similar at Dulles airport in suburban Washington, D. Referring to the seizure of Cuban cigars, Tony De Felippo, chief inspector of passenger operations at Dulles, says, "it happens, and when it does we reluctantly enforce the rules. It is unclear whether this was due to policy or some ongoing investigation Kennedy has been the focal point of interdicting Cuban cigars in recent years , but questions about Customs operations at the airport were dodged and attempts to visit Customs at Kennedy were refused.
Publicly, officials at OFAC take a dim view of lax embargo enforcement. However, one official, who does not wish to be identified, says, "no one has ever told me not to enforce the law, but if you have a docket full of murderers and then a guy spitting on the sidewalk, what's going to take precedent?
But according to federal law, the mere possession of Cuban cigars is equivalent to guilt. In other words, if authorities can prove that you have the goods, you are in direct violation of TWEA. Luckily, most travelers and smugglers know that Uncle Sam doesn't have the time, personnel or money to bother with small-time embargo breakers. In Miami, where the Cuban-American community is especially powerful, Customs officials are noticeably rattled by the embargo's anomalies.
A year veteran at Customs and part of a special-embargo-enforcement task force isn't afraid to lay it on the line: "You are talking about the paradox of the Cuban embargo here. But the biggest violators of the embargo are Cuban-Americans. So you think I'm going to knock myself out trying to enforce this when they don't even know what they want? Do you want cops in the street to stop jaywalkers or homicides? Hey, I'll stop cigars, but don't come crying to me when your old lady gets whacked.
Customs readily acknowledges that small parcels of cigars for personal use get through by mail and by hand but OFAC has operations in place to stop bigger violators: the few retailers who sell Cuban cigars.
There have been wild estimates on the number of Cuban cigars that were smuggled into the United States until ; the estimates range between 5 and 10 million cigars per year. Yet most people who monitor the industry--and even people involved with interdiction--agree that illegal sales of Havana cigars at the retail level have declined in this country.
Although demand is still quite high, Cuban production has fallen off sharply. There just isn't enough merchandise to go around. And because retailers can lose their licenses for dealing in contraband, most agree that it would be economic suicide even to try--especially with sales of legal cigars up as much as 30 percent see "Rolling Along," page With so few Cuban cigars available and demand riding an upward trend, some Americans violate both travel and trade restrictions to buy Havanas.
And occasionally, things get a little scary even before the cigars leave Havana. A Hollywood star, he had been courted like a prince.
At that price, an American authorized to visit Cuba could bring home only two--legally. Right now, good legal cigars are hard to get. San Domenico sells no Cuban cigars but does not stop customers from firing up what they claim to be a Havana. And there are plenty of fakes on the market. At least two London tobacconists regularly ship Cuban cigars via air to American customers using this dodge.
One Canadian tobacconist will also ship Cuban cigars to U. While more cigars are going up in smoke and more Cuban cigars fall into the hands of customs officials, manufacturers in Cuba plan to step up production to keep up with worldwide demand. Cuban cigars, although considered heady stuff, are not narcotics, and they do not produce revenue for the U.
Even though travelers caught bringing Cuban cigars into the country face no fine, the confiscation of treasured tobacco can hurt. All Sections.
About Us. B2B Publishing. Business Visionaries.
0コメント