Is it illegal to buy cuban cigars over the internet?

Answer 1

You can buy cuban cigars. However, you cannot bring them into the US. (That's what the cruise ships will warn you - you can buy them in ports and smoke them on board, but you cannot take them off ship (enter the US) no matter what nationality you are.) so it is the delivery that is the big issue, not the purchase itself.

You'll probably have to make sure to pay your locality's cigarette tax, though, as most of the online places will not have the appropriate tax stamp on the cigar/cigarette.

If you are a US citizen, you cannot legally purchase a cigar made in Cuba or using tobacco from Cuba, even if you are in a 3rd country for consumption in a 3rd country... You can purchase a cigar made of tobacco grown in a 3rd country from Cuban tobacco seeds, however, and these may for marketing purposes be called "Cuban cigars."
http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/programs/cuba/ccigar2.pdf

Answer 2

Cuban cigars are illegal in the United States, except for pre-embargo cigars which are very rare and extremely expensive. If U.S. citizens attempt to buy, own or bring any Cuban cigars into the U.S., they may be subject to fines and other penalties, depending on the particular circumstances.
Cuban Cigars Are Illegal at Home and Abroad
Technically, although an American citizen cannot even purchase or smoke a Cuban cigar while traveling abroad, there may not be any practical way to enforce the restriction. That being said, a cigar smoker who ever wanted to try a Cuban cigar may want to take the chance while traveling in other countries. Canada and Mexico are not very far from many American cities, and those who are planning a Caribbean cruise will find Cuban cigars for sale on many of the islands. There is, however, a problem with counterfeit Cuban cigars being sold to American tourists. To improve the chances of getting the real thing, make your purchase from a reputable cigar store, and not one of the many street vendors that you'll see near the port. Do not buy any more cigars that you intend to smoke while abroad.
Know the Risks
Cuban Assets Control Regulations, 31 C.F.R. Part 515, (Revised September 30, 2004) are administered and enforced by the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Criminal penalties for violation of the Regulations can go as high as $1 million for corporations, and $250,000 for individuals plus up to 10 years in prison. In addition, civil penalties of up to $65,000 per violation can be imposed by OFAC.
The Forbidden Fruit
In general, Cuban cigars are the best in the world. However, a particular Dominican, Honduran or Nicaraguan cigar can taste better than a particular Cuban cigar. Being Cuban does not automatically make a cigar great, but it does make it the forbidden fruit, and therefore, desirable to some connoisseurs. There are so many great cigars in this world, more than one person can ever sample, that it may not make sense to violate our country's laws just to smoke a cigar from Cuba

Answer 3

that's no longer unlawful which you will purchase them. that's prohibited which you will obtain THEM. while they bypass the border into usa, you have committed against the regulation. Customs would be notified of what the shipment is, and the place it got here from. If pointed out, they are going to be confiscated and destroyed, and you will no longer get money back. Years in the past I sent on a singles holiday to the Dominican Republic. They sell cigars on the coastline. a pal offered a container of cigars from a supplier who lied and instructed him they weren't cuban. while he got here via decrease back to the states, they have been confiscated as cuban cigars at Customs, that are no longer legal to import, whether offered for inner maximum use.

Answer 4

Cuban Cigars are illegal to bring into the United States so therefore I think it would be illeagal to buy them over the internet.

Answer 5

It is illegal to sell cuban cigars in the United States, or to import them into the United States, if they were manufactured in the last three or four decades. (There are cigars, probably fakes, that are "pre-Castro", and those are still legal to sell if you've already got them in the United States, I have heard).

If you are buying Cuban cigars with the intention that they be delivered to you in the U.S., you may get away with it, but it would be definitely illegal.

Answer 6

Do like everyone else. Go to Canada, buy some Cubans and switch the label on them. then "import" them in. Keep the old labels and switch them back, if you plan on resale, I'm just kidding, don't do anything illegal.

Answer 7

Yes and they are starting to crack down on contiband such as that coming into the U S. Of course, you can buy it outside of the U S. You just can't bring it into the country. The customs people have been told to prevent such goods from getting in anymore.

Answer 8

It's illegal. I know that from watching Seinfeld.

Answer 9

if brought into the USA....yes!
it's illegal even if you bought them in Canada.

Answer 10

It is illegal and you can be fined $55,000 per violation and criminal prosecution.