TheUnited States authorities They warned travelers thatAlcohol and tobacco products produced by Cuba are not allowed in luggage to enter the country. and will be confiscated in compliance with current regulations.
“It is important to remind travelers who return from Cuba with rum and tobacco purchased there, and others who bring Cuban products to the United States from other countries, that they will be confiscated and destroyed,” he toldCyberCuba a spokesperson for the Department of Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The official acknowledged that the arrival of passengers from Cuba with rum and tobacco in their luggage is frequent, particularly in theMiami International Airport (MIA).
“Most of the time travelers bring these products due to a lack of knowledge about existing regulations, or because a seller, in the country they are leaving, tells them that they can take the product to the United States,” he commented. “Please keep in mind that this may even be on purpose to sell the product without taking into account the established rules and the imminent loss of the purchased if you try to bring it in with your luggage.”
Confiscations of Cuban rum and tobacco have become a regular procedure by US customs authorities since September 2020, when the Donald Trump administration imposed severe restrictions on products purchased in Cuba.
But the summer vacation season, when the circulation of travelers from Cuba increases, also usually comes with certain transgressions in their luggage.
This Wednesday, non-compliance with regulations escalated to criminal levels. A traveler from Cuba, identified asAdrian Reinoso, wasarrested while trying to enter about 100 boxes of tobacco through the MIA of the Upmann and Cohiba brands, according to the arrest report.
Reinoso, 44, faces charges related to illegal possession, sale and distribution of cigarettes, as well as an additional charge for alleged label falsification.
Theregulations applied by CBP authorities indicates that as of September 24, 2020, travelers will not be able to return to the United States with alcohol and/or tobacco products acquired in Cuba as accompanied luggage for personal use.
“People authorized to travel to Cuba may purchase alcohol and tobacco products while in Cuba for personal consumption there. "Persons subject to the jurisdiction of the United States may purchase or acquire merchandise of Cuban origin, including alcohol and tobacco products, while they are in a third country for their personal consumption outside the United States, but they may not import them into the United States," it indicates. theresolution, established by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Treasury Department.
The land provision, the flexibilities implemented by theBarack Obama administration since 2014, when it was authorized to bring up to 100 cigars or four boxes, and up to two bottles of liquor, tax-free.
But Obama went further. In 2016, import restrictions on Cuban products were almost eliminated as part of a fifth package of easing embargo sanctions.
In October 2016, OFACeliminated monetary value limitations on what travelers could import from Cuba as accompanied baggage to the United States, including alcohol and tobacco products.
The ban on foreign travelers importing alcohol and tobacco products of Cuban origin into the United States was also lifted.
It was only stipulated that products of Cuban origin had to be imported for personal use, and the normal limits of exemptions from duties and taxes would apply. Tax impositions at US Customs applied exclusively when travelers exceeded the amounts in force until 2014.
But in 2020 Trump reversed those facilities and tightened the screws as part of his policy of tightening sanctions against the Cuban regime.
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