Famous Smoke Shop can now legally sell Cuban cigars

EASTON, PA - March 31, 2011 - If you are an American cigar smoker who’s been champing in the bit to purchase Cuban cigars legally, your ship may well be coming in - literally! Thanks to a temporary license issued by the U.S. Treasury Department, you could be ordering your Cuban Cohibas, Montecristos and Bolivars from Famous Smoke Shop earlier than people feel.


Soon after virtually 3 years of legal wrangling as well as a mountain of paperwork, Popular Smoke Shop, the nation’s top cigar cataloger and retailer of premium handmade cigars, has been granted an “exception” by the Secretary in the Treasury below Title 31 C.F.R. Element 515 - Cuban Assets Manage Regulations, Subpart B-Prohibitions, especially with regard to §515.204 “Importation of and dealings in specific merchandise” which states:

(a) Except as especially authorized by the Secretary in the Treasury (or any individual, agency, or instrumentality designated by him) by indicates of regulations, rulings, directions, licenses, or otherwise, no individual topic for the jurisdiction with the United States could obtain, transport, import, or otherwise deal in or engage in any transaction with respect to any merchandise outside the United States if such merchandise:

(1) Is of Cuban origin; or
(11) Is or has been situated in or transported from or via Cuba; or
(111) Is created or derived in entire or in element of any write-up which can be the growth, generate or manufacture of Cuba.

Famous Smoke Shop began contacting U.S. State Department and Treasury officials shortly immediately after President Barack Obama eased American travel restrictions to Cuba in April of 2009. However it was Cuba’s current devaluation with the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), now pegged for the U.S. dollar, which gave the Treasury Department the capability to approve a pilot system to assist them estimate Cuban tobacco import tax revenues.


Below the new provision, the Easton, PA-based cigar shop was granted “exclusive authorization” to import as much as ten,000 Cuban cigars a year for a two year period. The license might be productive beginning July 1, 2011 by way of June 30, 2013.

“If the system operates for Famous Smoke Shop, we'll contemplate expanding it permanently, which will permit other U.S. tobacconists to apply for the licenses.” stated a Treasury Department spokesperson.

Arthur ZaretskyArthur Zaretsky, president of Famous Smoke Shop-PA, Inc., who received the fortuitous telephone call from Washington this past Tuesday, was ecstatic in the news.

“This would be the largest shot inside the arm we could ever have hoped for,” stated Mr. Zaretsky. “Our shoppers are going to become bowled more than by the chance to obtain Cuban cigars devoid of getting to go outside the law.”

Because of the restricted limit of Cuban cigars Famous is going to be permitted to import, the business is wanting to perform out the fairest strategy to get them into their clients hands as you quickly as they possibly can.

“Our very first concept was to auction the cigars, but we decided against it,” mentioned Well-known Marketing and advertising Director, Mike Vandenstockt. “For one particular, we believed that may well be slightly too greedy. And due to the fact we’re needed to send sales figures towards the Treasury Department, they wouldn’t be capable of get an correct number for estimating the tax dollars.”

Famous decided the very best method to level the playing field was to generate up Cuban 5-packs and limit sales to 1 pack per client. Even so, it was also decided that Well-known Smoke Shop’s finest clients will get 1st dibs on the Havanas by way of a private e-mail campaign.

“I think charity begins at house,” stated Mr. Zaretsky. “The consumers who've opened their wallets for us one of the most deserve to visit the head with the line.” But he also assured he will do his finest to determine that as a lot of buyers as you possibly can get a likelihood to add some Cuban cigars to their humidors.

For now, the enterprise has posted a landing page on their internet website exactly where buyers who choose to obtain the Cuban 5-packs can input their names, e-mail addresses and client numbers. The landing page also has specifics explaining specifically how the Cuban 5-pack plan will perform.

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