US Customs slashing cigars

[uscmd310]

I wasn't aware that US customs used this tactic. A friend ordered 6 very rare cigars from a collector in France. Approximate worth of the cigars was $4,000. It was easy to see the cigars were valuable because of the care in the shipping. IS sorting facility in New York, arrived in California with the yellow tape. All 6 cigars were slashed neck to foot. I would include pictures but I didn't ask permission from friend.  I was shocked at the mean hearted-ness. No confiscation, no letter, just slashed cigars.

[Head83]

I wonder if they realized what they were worth and knew slashing them and sending them on to see was enough punishment vs the dreaded letter and loading into the database.  I am having visions of that movie John Wick after he watches his puppy get killed and unleashes the fury on everyone.  That was just cruel and unusual punishment your friend endured but at that price, might as well flown to the source and brought them back in hand and avoided the issue all together. 

[Shaunster]

Thats a bit nasty. 6 cigars for $4000 is insane, why would you risk that to a random customs inspection 

[Squarehead]

If I would have that kind of money to dish out $4000.00 for 6 cigars than I could have flown there to get them personally and bring them home.

[TheGipper]

This tactic is not officially sanctioned by US CBP.  You only get this when you happen to get an agent in a foul mood who doesn't want to do the paperwork.

I have personally only seen this once, about 15 years ago on a full 25 count box.

[NSXCIGAR]

This was certainly done under the heading of "inspection" and not punishment. That being said, after some very cursory research, there may be a legal remedy as there are procedures that must be followed for inspection. Only if probable cause arises after less-invasive methods are employed is customs allowed to use more intrusive inspection techniques which may damage an item. The probable cause must be documented and the escalation of inspection methods reasonable based on that documented probable cause. For example, customs cannot capriciously slash up a Picasso to look for, say, drugs. That's an unreasonable escalation of inspection methods and less-intrusive methods like- X-Ray must be used first with escalation only allowed if the X-Ray reveals something anomalous.

Now, all this only applies if the cigars were pre-Embargo or at least had no indication of post-Embargo Cuban origin and properly declared, and therefore legally imported which it appears they may not have been. If customs had probable cause to believe the cigars were post-Embargo Cuban then I would say it's virtually impossible to have legal recourse as they would simply have been seized and destroyed anyway. That's like fighting to get drugs back after they were seized after an illegal search by a police officer. They may indeed be "released" back to you but you don't want to go down to the station to pick them up.

Personally, I would not have sent cigars that valuable through customs. $4,000 is enough for me to fly out and bring them back personally which is completely legal and zero risk.

[NSXCIGAR]

1 hour ago, Hutch said:

I'd be interested in hearing what cigar was deemed to be worth $667 !!

A Bolivar Gold Medal or Especiales No. 2 with provenance could command that kind of money. It's high, but certainly the rarest of the rare could command it. 

[uscmd310]

This friend has a huge collection, and he only smokes rare vintage cigars. I'm guessing he doesn't have the time to fly for such a small order. They were Cifuentes. The brand no longer exists and I think this brand was the previous owner of the Partagas factory pre-revolucion.  Discontinued in 1970?

[uscmd310]

For him it's not a big deal - just an irritation. For me - Carajo! That sucks bigtime. He found out I was going to Cuba June and July so I'll try to get them re-wrapped. Sent a picture to a couple rollers and they said it can be done. I'll try and post pictures.

[Stogieninja]

A Bolivar Gold Medal

Boil gold medals are worth $667?!

[NSXCIGAR]

Just now, Stogieninja said:

Boil gold medals are worth $667?!

 

Original release (pre-1980s) with provenance, perhaps.

Not the LCDH re-release of 2004!

11 minutes ago, uscmd310 said:

This friend has a huge collection, and he only smokes rare vintage cigars. I'm guessing he doesn't have the time to fly for such a small order. They were Cifuentes. The brand no longer exists and I think this brand was the previous owner of the Partagas factory pre-revolucion.  Discontinued in 1970?

I guess that's the cost of doing business. Breakage essentially. 

$667 for any Cifuentes seems to be quite a lot, but maybe prices are up there these days. Definitely on the high end of the spectrum. Not a marca that has a particularly high demand in the vintage market and not known for extremely high quality. They are sought after, but it is far from a holy grail. I'd say La Escepcion is probably more sought after as a marca. But it's possible your friend was completing a box or had a particular need for these sticks. They're ultimately worth what one is willing to pay.

[Drguano]

Quite a few years ago, James Suckling wrote about having this done to him when flying back from Havana and going through customs inTexas or California. They were not rare or expensive sticks but he was not amused. Mean spirited agents...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[cigcars]

3 hours ago, Hutch said:

I'd be interested in hearing what cigar was deemed to be worth $667 !!

    * Dunhill Cabinettas?

[Charltonc]

This friend has a huge collection, and he only smokes rare vintage cigars. I'm guessing he doesn't have the time to fly for such a small order. They were Cifuentes. The brand no longer exists and I think this brand was the previous owner of the Partagas factory pre-revolucion.  Discontinued in 1970?

This...

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[NSXCIGAR]

On 6/2/2017 at 6:39 PM, cigcars said:

    * Dunhill Cabinettas?

I don't believe these are selling for more than 400-500 USD per stick yet based on the last few years of auction results I've seen, and those are complete boxes. As I noted, $600+ is extremely rarified air for post-Rev CCs. I've only seen the Davidoff 80th Anniversarios sell for that or more, and they routinely do. In fact a complete box of 10 sold in 2011 for ~$10,000 and singles regularly sell for $500-700 USD. The last complete 1492 humidor in excellent condition sold for ~$34,000 or $676/stick, so those have reached that level but only in a full complete humidor. Partial humis or loose sticks are still much lower.

I don't recall seeing any Boli GMs sell at auction in recent memory, but in 2011 a reserve was not met on a partial box of 8 at $460 per stick. I've never seen a Boli Especiales No. 2 come up, but that might be a heavy hitter if it ever did. Not even a full box of Davidoff Dom Peringon was selling for more than $500/stick, although that was 2010.

In 2014 five sticks of Cifuentes Altezas Reales from 1975 appearing to be in excellent condition sold for $800. Hard to imagine a price jump of 400% on these in just 3 years, and these are generally the most sought-after Cifuentes.

[semifan1]

Damn, never though I would see single cigars that much. I remember seeing one in London for 100 pounds and was thinking that was high. Guess I haven't seen it all...

[Squarehead]

14 hours ago, uscmd310 said:

This friend has a huge collection, and he only smokes rare vintage cigars. I'm guessing he doesn't have the time to fly for such a small order. They were Cifuentes. The brand no longer exists and I think this brand was the previous owner of the Partagas factory pre-revolucion.  Discontinued in 1970?

With all due respect but I call this "BS"

[Smallclub]

$4000 for six post-revolution Cifuentes cigars sounds delirious.

[SurpriseMVP]

Probably bought on one of those face book groups where a fresh box of Monte 4 is worth $250.


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[rhcolbert]

Whole thing sounds insane.  The cigar prices, having 4K put in the post and the slicing on top? Is this a horror flick?

[kmax]

Happened to me 10 years or so ago. Cigars inspected sealed with customs tape slashed with. Razor blade.


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[JR Kipling]

Am surprised they didn't steal them. They probably didn't know how much they were worth.

 

Not the sharpest people at that level

[gusto616]

It happened to me about 8 years ago. Of course, not nearly as valuable as the Cifuentes being discussed here.

I had purchased several boxes of Davidoff Panatelas Extras LE 2003 from Germany & one of the cigars in one box was slashed by Customs.
What a D bag!

I still have the slashed cigar & it still pisses me off




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[cigcars]

                    I just can't stand it - the SACRILEGE... 

            Even if these agents were to pull what we've all heard in prior years  supposedly used to be done...and that was to take contraband items home with them (secretly) and for themselves - that I could live with better than watching these priceless, highly prized gems being senselessly destroyed like this. Remember when we'd hear it being described, jokingly, that these agents were being ordered to "destroy" these seized cigars, and it was rumored that the agents practically went, "Yessir, Yessir, three bags full! They'll be destroyed alright!"- one at a time in small fires! Even if that really was just a joke, it still really irks me to learn about this wreckless destruction of carefully crafted Havana beauties...  

[cigcars]

1 minute ago, gusto616 said:

It happened to me about 8 years ago. Of course, not nearly as valuable as the Cifuentes being discussed here.

I had purchased several boxes of Davidoff Panatelas Extras LE 2003 from Germany & one of the cigars in one box was slashed by Customs.
What a D bag!

I still have the slashed cigar & it still pisses me off




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      * Hell, that wasn't even Cuban tobacco, was it!??