More than a thousand cigars that were transported by passengers on flights from Cuba and Panama were detected and confiscated by customs agents at the Ministro Pistarini International Airport, in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
When the travelers presented themselves at the control of the General Directorate of Customs, the staff of that body carried out the usual inspection of the suitcases through a scanner, a non-intrusive control method.
Noticing suspicious images in the luggage of the four passengers, the agents proceeded to the physical inspection of each suitcase, in which they found a total of 1,286 cigars hidden among the personal belongings of the travelers, according to what was announced by the press from that country.
The authorities presumed that “given the quantity” the merchandise would have commercial purposes.
Customs personnel seized the cargo, valued at nearly $5,500.as it is a violation of article 977 of the Customs Code.
In addition, the entry of this type of merchandise into Argentine territory for marketing purposes requires the prior intervention of the National Agrifood Health and Quality Service (SENASA). Guarantees that could not be exhibited by the travelers in question, which is an additional aggravating circumstance.
The fine for the violation could reach a maximum of $4,839.
At the closing of this note, the nationality of the four travelers involved has not been disclosed.
In July, a Cuban who arrived at Miami International Airport on an American Airlines flight from Cuba was arrested for trying to enter a hundred boxes of cigars.
In that case, the 44-year-old suspect faced charges related to the illegal possession, sale and distribution of cigarettes, to which was added one for alleged falsification of labels.
A Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer detected the alleged tobacco smuggling by finding several boxes of taxed H. Upmann brand, without labels, and multiple individual Cohiba cigars. Later, an inventory revealed that there were 50 boxes of each brand.
The authorities determined that the packages did not comply with federal regulations on precise warning labels, in addition to being merchandise whose sale is not allowed in the United States. Since September 2020, travelers from Cuba cannot return to United States territory with products of alcohol and/or tobacco purchased on the island as accompanied baggage for personal use.
Last month, another Cuban, in this case living in Spain, was detained at an airport in the Iberian nation for allegedly smuggling tobacco and cigarettes, after the authorities They will find 224 cigars and several boxes of cigars in their luggage.
