Black Market Cigars Key To Survival in Cuba

Contrary to Michael Moore's assertion that Cuba is a socialist paradise with the best health care in the world, the average Cuban earns about $20US / month. They need to supplement their income to survive, and they supplement it by selling cigars on the black market...

One of Cuba’s largest legal exports is of course premium Cuban cigars. Even though the US still maintains an embargo against Cuban cigar imports, the country sells tens of millions of cigars to customers in Europe, mainly in France and Spain. Mirroring this legitimate business is the underground black market for Cuban cigars. Black market cigars are usually sold to tourists. They come packaged with everything which is needed to make them look legitimate, but are offered at highway robbery prices. A package of 25 premium black market Cuban cigars might go for as little as $8, which might buy you one or two premium cigars through legitimate channels.

Where do the black market cigars come from? Most are smuggled out of distributors’ warehouses, but some are also created at home using the scraps left over from the premium cigar supply piles. Selling black market cigars helps not only tourists but locals to conserve their incomes, and also supplements the income of sellers who otherwise could not afford to even survive.

Sad state of affairs.