have done a lot of reading and a lot of surfing...it takes not a criminal super genius to quickly see that there are many many international cc dealers - all who readily guarantee delivery to the USA..

i dont mean any one place in particualr...go on any seach engine you like and you see what comes up...

seeing how this is a main marketing point of all these sites, i would say it is fair to say that there are quite a bit of our fellow countrymen who regullarly throw caution to the wind and open defy the blessed OFAC...

so here is my question...if all this "illict" purchasing is going on - who is being prosecuted??

now i can find a myraid articles on the trafficking of real and faux product ...articles after aritcle about people being caught (physically in the USA) actually retailng real smuggled products or attmepting to peddle phony product.

can anyone give me an single verfied story even a verifed annecdote...of someone getting in trouble - be it having their prodcut confiscated ar actually being detained by our kindly friends for the OFAC?

i beleive the terminonlgy is "possesion" vs "distribution". with the latter obviously being the graver of the acts.

we all know this embargo is a total farse...
no we dont need all the federal resources available to fight terrorism or what going on in iraq...we need to waste or tax payer dollars on this type of nonsense - i would say "thanks GW" - but this nonsense has gone on for 7 adminstrations.

anyways - let me know what you know...
if your "friends" ever had anything confiscated...if they have been in anyway detained by law enforcement...

we all know what can happen...$250,000 in fines...10 years in the slammer (hmm...i wonder if there is a constitutional issue here? amendment 8 - cruel and unsual?)

again...so that is what "can" happen- but what "has" been happening - of course to your observations...

i guess in the end it is just like anyhting esle in life - we are left to go about on own honor system...just like how all of us never drive over 60 mph because thats the law and if we do so - tis at our own risk...

just my random thouhgts..

BF

And here (click on the montly reports)

http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/civpen/index.shtml

Not all those who commit crimes are caught. Not all criminals who are caught are prosecuted. Not all who are prosecuted are convicted.

Do you feel lucky?? Faree or not - the law is on the books and they can and will prosecute for transctions in items of Cuban origin. If a suspicious package comes your way, they can ask for your credit card records, bank statements, checking account records, even email correspondence, that might lead them to conclude that, not only are you engaging in a violation of the TWEA, but also perjury when you deny under penalty thereof on that form they first send you about the transaction in question that you are engaging in such transactions.

There are laws and those who break them, and among those, there are those who are prosecuted.

What happens to retailers outside of the States that send cuban cigars to customers in the States? What punishment do they get, if any?

quote:

What happens to retailers outside of the States that send cuban cigars to customers in the States? What punishment do they get, if any?

Persons and firms that are not citizens of the USA are not generally subject to sanctions under the Trading with the Enemy Act. The exporter (vendor) is safe. The importer (purchaser) is at risk. That said, even foreign nationals cannot lawfully bring Cuban cigars to the USA for private consumption, as I understand it.

I don't think the U.S. can touch them (unless they invade the country the business is in and bomb the crap out of it). It isn't illegal for the businesses to sell the cigars to U.S. customers, it is illegal for the U.S. customers to buy them. So technically the dealers from Asia and Europe are doing nothing wrong.

I heard on ABC radio news that our pals at Cigar Aficionado are writing a huge editorial for the next issue blasting the U.S. government for going after schmos like us who buy sticks from Cuba. It should be interesting to see what they have to say!

Gordon Mott made mention of this on a previous thread related to the infamous OFAC letters:
http://forums.cigaraficionado.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/76...=567109914#567109914

I guess dead horses really can be beatin.