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As a Canadian returning from Cuba (25 or so times) and having been hassled more than a few times ... I feel for you .

also tho I am a bit more than a little surprised they didn’t send you to a lonely room to wait 3 days for you to shit everything out before they let you go through customs .

it could have been worse

derrek

 

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for all his faults..... he does appear to be a remarkably good judge of character 

100 per household?  So I’m brining my wife for nothing?    

some years ago in brisbane, at the international airport, i had a massive dispute with a customs security idiot. this was leaving, not returning. he had decided that being 14 years of age, he'd show e

1 hour ago, BarryVT said:

Wow JYO! I feel for your loss. I would have been irate! Maybe I need to go back and reread rules. It was my understanding that you could bring back as many as you wanted, as long as for personal use, and you paid the 4% tax over 800. I was thinking of filling my suitcase when I go, and leaving clothes behind. And seriously, 450 cigars? Sounds like you came across the one d#@k in customs.

He flat out told me anything over 100 cigars is considered to be commercial. 

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12 minutes ago, JY0 said:

He flat out told me anything over 100 cigars is considered to be commercial. 

That's absurd, commercial, did he think you were going down to little Havana and peddle them on the streets? 

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10 minutes ago, srbuck said:

Sorry for your loss... Let's face it the most powerful man in the world does not want any US citizens to go to Cuba;I certainly wouldn't go past that 100 anymore.

Yes but it's frustrating,  like the refs changing the rules in the middle of a game. We are led to believe one thing, then hit you with the 100 rule without notice. 

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12 hours ago, FatherOfPugs said:

OP, that sucks. Plain and simple. What I've found with my travels in and out of the U.S.A. is that the limit is WHATEVER the CBP officer on duty says it is. Y'all can cite statutes all you want, and arguing at the time only WILL only make it worse. I've seen people loose their collective sh!t while having things confiscated. They tried citing statutes and all that jazz, did not help one bit.  It all depends on who is working that day and what kind of mood they are in, plain and simple, nothing more. 

What happened to you sucks. It really does, CBP ruined your trip at the end.  When I came in through Miami the last time, I had 8 boxes (200 cigars) and 4 liters of rum, declared it all and the CBP officer asked if I smoke that many cigars, I said yes, and showed him my cigar lounge membership card I had at the time, he replied with "well, it's your health" and then let me through. It all depends on his/her mood, which is sad. 

Everything one needs to know can be found on this page: https://www.cbp.gov/travel/international-visitors/kbyg/customs-duty-info 

We take a risk every time we leave the country and come back with anything in excess of 1 liter of alcohol and more than 100 cigars. 

Yes exactly. So much is up to the discretion of the customs agent. I have always found Miami to be good with reasonable customs agents. Philly always sends me to secondary inspection to get xrayed or have the declared liquor/cigars inspected but the worst I’ve gotten there is a lecture and then they let me go. Still sucks what happened to the OP. Even paying duty on being over limits is BS. Why does the government get to tax us again on things we already paid taxes on in the country of purchase?

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1 minute ago, rabidraccoon said:

Yes exactly. So much is up to the discretion of the customs agent. I have always found Miami to be good with reasonable customs agents. Philly always sends me to secondary inspection to get xrayed or have the declared liquor/cigars inspected but the worst I’ve gotten there is a lecture and then they let me go. Still sucks what happened to the OP. Even paying duty on being over limits is BS. Why does the government get to tax us again on things we already paid taxes on in the country of purchase? 

4% is virtually nothing. (it is almost unbelievable)

getting you cigars stolen is a completely different story.

but 4% is bloody incredible.

we are about 94% taxed between federal, provincial, and excise.

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Horror stories like this make me think it may be better to drive down to Mexico and go to Cuba on a Mexican airline and then bring my cigars back via the port of entry in Tijuana or Mexicali.

Does anyone have experience visiting Cuba by way of Mexico? Is it a practical idea for those of us near the US/Mexico border?

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13 minutes ago, Burningman said:

Horror stories like this make me think it may be better to drive down to Mexico and go to Cuba on a Mexican airline and then bring my cigars back via the port of entry in Tijuana or Mexicali.

Does anyone have experience visiting Cuba by way of Mexico? Is it a practical idea for those of us near the US/Mexico border?

Mexico has a 2 box limit, period.   The US has the loosest laws of bringing cigars back.

It's also technically illegal to go to Cuba from Mexico, for US citizens.  Assuming they found out.

 

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11 minutes ago, Burningman said:

Horror stories like this make me think it may be better to drive down to Mexico and go to Cuba on a Mexican airline and then bring my cigars back via the port of entry in Tijuana or Mexicali.

Does anyone have experience visiting Cuba by way of Mexico? Is it a practical idea for those of us near the US/Mexico border?

My one experience doing this was terrible.  Upon entering Mexico from Cuba, my cigars were held ransom until I paid about $250 in cash to the agent.  Not having much cash left on me after Cuba, I had to go to an ATM, which, of course, none of them in the closest 2 terminals worked.  I finally got the cash and paid the arbitrary amount after about 1 hour delay.  And, of course, 1 box was mysteriously missing. 

Ive heard of others with similar stories. My experience is that Mexico scans every bag coming in, so difficult to get passed without being noticed. 

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       *Y'know, JYO, it sounds pretty obvious that these "agents" were planning to treat themselves to wonderful smokes at your expense. I just know that on our police force (okay, we may not be customs and inspections agents), but still if people wanted our name, etc. we would dutifully give them our name, make sure they had the right spelling of it, our badge no., Hell - even give them the phone number to complaints if they liked, whenever we might have to correct some jackass from doing something that sort of falls in the middle of actually breaking a law or reg, and our having to keep our cool with their becoming a straight out ass-wipe. But putting our hand over our badge like Ken's 14 yr. old play agent, or smugly smiling that "we'll seize the whole thing if you don't like it..." etc. - Nah. So now, you're stuck with having to envision these Miami agents leisurely enjoying YOUR stash. Personally, I find that looking to enjoy ill-gotten gain like that will have Karmic reprisals eventually; those cigars will turn to the taste of lead in their mouth; their own favorite car or motorcycle will get "borrowed" and never returned, so that they can't report it stolen because you willingly gave away your car keys; just wait. Something unpleasant and undesirable will befall them. When human beings fail to enforce the laws fairly, and victimize folks unfairly, that will be when "Other Forces" will take up the cause and go to work on the behalf of those wronged. Yeah, I know we're just talking about "Cigars", but what I've read here in your case, JYO is just plane smugly carried out "theft". Why else wouldn't they let you watch them destroy the smokes like they're supposed to and did do in yesteryear?

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In Finland you can only bring 2 boxes.

Also ordering cigars through internet is illegal. If you get caught you will lose the cigars. So no chance of gettin 20-30 boxes of cigars through custom.

Taxes in Finland are also one of the highest in the world.

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Damn, I can’t even imagine your pain dude. I’d be crying over the loss of one box. In Denmark you can bring in 50 cigars period. I never bring a single stick above that, I wouldn’t even consider the risk of standing there like a school kid who accidentally broke a window in front of solid built “authority” guys, trying to babble off some story I would know to be a lie because I know the laws of my country .

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It pains me to read this happenstance. That TOTL (Thief of The Leaf) supervisor deserves his cosmic karmic justice for not relinquishing to release to burn the leaf. I hope you're coping well.

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11 hours ago, boopdeep said:

My one experience doing this was terrible.  Upon entering Mexico from Cuba, my cigars were held ransom until I paid about $250 in cash to the agent.  Not having much cash left on me after Cuba, I had to go to an ATM, which, of course, none of them in the closest 2 terminals worked.  I finally got the cash and paid the arbitrary amount after about 1 hour delay.  And, of course, 1 box was mysteriously missing. 

Ive heard of others with similar stories. My experience is that Mexico scans every bag coming in, so difficult to get passed without being noticed. 

Yes Mexico is aweful. I believe anything over 50 gets the tax. I told them I had more than 25 but less than 50 (couple hundred was what I had). Lady gave me some eye rolls as they went through my baggage but escaped unmolested. 

I brought most of my boxes 150-200 boxes to my new home abroad by way of a large esky/cooler on more than one occasion. 

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3 hours ago, Cohiba007 said:

This is the only reason that I’m brining my wife with me in May.  100 more cigars 

Wait, is the rule 100 cigars per person? So if I go on a trip with 3 people and I buy 400 cigars, I can give them each 100 cigars to claim as their own and keep the last 100 to pass through customs I'll be fine?

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16 minutes ago, CubanAmerican said:

Wait, is the rule 100 cigars per person? So if I go on a trip with 3 people and I buy 400 cigars, I can give them each 100 cigars to claim as their own and keep the last 100 to pass through customs I'll be fine?

Your math skills will serve you well. 100 cigars each. If asked, they need to state that the cigars are for their own personal use.

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31 minutes ago, CubanAmerican said:

Wait, is the rule 100 cigars per person? So if I go on a trip with 3 people and I buy 400 cigars, I can give them each 100 cigars to claim as their own and keep the last 100 to pass through customs I'll be fine?

No, it is a 100 per household actually.  All limits on things like this are by the household, which is why you are given the option to only use one declaration form if you are traveling with your spouse.  

Now if you two decided to go to two different agents and act as two independents I can't see how they would figure it out right then and there, but who knows.  

Anyway, this is all good info to have.  Next time I am in Cuba I will plan on searching out only the prized boxes, like Sir Winstons and Behikes.  Otherwise, I'd rather buy from our host anyway.  

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