Cuban Cigars

[bankbwoy]

I brought cigars from my trip that I bought from a vendor out in D.R. I thought a box of them was from D.R. but they were Cohibas from Havana, Cuba. Does anybody know if they were illegal to bring back since I heard you couldn't bring cuban cigars back to the U.S.? I thought it might be illegal from Cuba but what about D.R.?

[Robert]

Originally Posted by bankbwoy

I brought cigars from my trip that I bought from a vendor out in D.R. I thought a box of them was from D.R. but they were Cohibas from Havana, Cuba. Does anybody know if they were illegal to bring back since I heard you couldn't bring cuban cigars back to the U.S.? I thought it might be illegal from Cuba but what about D.R.?

My guess is they are fake, like 95% of the Cohibas (Cuban) sold in the DR.
You can buy a box on the beach for a few hundred pesos. They look good in the box, but all the cigar people tell me 95% of Cohibas sold here are fake. That includes some that you see in cigar shops.

I believe you cannot legally bring in Cuban cigars to the US, but Dominican cigars are fine.

Hillbilly is the DR1 expert on this subject.

[juancarlos]

I believe you are allowed to bring one box of Cuban cigars for your personal use. However, it is almost certain that the ones you purchased are not Cuban at all. They are, most likely, fakes.

[bankbwoy]

I gave the cigars away as soveniers so its all good.

[ricktoronto]

Originally Posted by bankbwoy

I brought cigars from my trip that I bought from a vendor out in D.R. I thought a box of them was from D.R. but they were Cohibas from Havana, Cuba. Does anybody know if they were illegal to bring back since I heard you couldn't bring cuban cigars back to the U.S.? I thought it might be illegal from Cuba but what about D.R.?

1. US Customs doesn't care where you bought Cuban cigars , they are not importable, for personal use or anything else - they seize them in Canada at pre-clearance all the time. If they miss you that is not the same as being given permission.

2. Even is "legit" cigar shops in the DR you may be getting either DR made , Cuban labeled, cigars or junk. From beach merchants they are 100% fake, period, and so badly made you can hardly draw air through them to smoke them since they are made up of waste tobacco that is too fine for cigars.

3. The box with the glass lid and the fake labels etc., cost the beach /street sellers more than the cigars, and that cost is about $4.00 US so imagine the quality of the cigars if the whole load is less than that.

4. It is actually quite easy to buy fakes IN Cuba as well so the odds of getting real ones at a good price in the DR are between slim and none and Slim left town.