Over 10,000 Counterfeit Cohibas Seized in Miami

General Cigar scored a recent victory in the fight against counterfeiting when agents from the Miami Office of the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco seized over 10,000 phony Cohibas. The counterfeit Cohibas, which carry an estimated retail value of over $200,000, were taken in raids of retail shops on Calle Ocho in the Little Havana section of Miami. The successful raids were the result of an investigation in which law enforcement collaborated with General Cigar, the owner of the Cohiba trademark in the United States.

In all, agents seized approximately 1,800 wooden boxes of counterfeit Cohibas. The boxes carried the Cohiba stamp, and each of the cigars featured bands which displayed the Cohiba name and Republic Dominicana on their labels. Criminal charges will be filed against the offenders for violating Florida’s laws on counterfeit goods.

This is not the first time that General Cigar has had to deal with phony cigars, as its Cohiba brand is a favored target of counterfeiters due to its massive popularity. Over 3,000 counterfeit Cohibas were seized during raids on seven retail shops in Key West, Florida, in November of last year.

When asked about the latest raids, General Cigar president Dan Carr said: “Protecting cigar consumers from counterfeiters and maintaining the integrity of our products is a top priority for the company, and we are very grateful for the efforts of the Florida Division of Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco. We will continue to cooperate with law enforcement as the investigation continues.”

Cigar Store Indian Sells for $94,400

A recent auction at the Washtenaw Farm Council Grounds in Ann Arbor, Michigan, featured over 2,000 lots of antiques and collectibles that found their way into new hands. While many special pieces made the auction a memorable experience, it was a cigar store Indian figure that stole the show.

The Indian chief figure measures five feet tall and was carved by artisan Samuel Robb in the 1880s. Its selling price of an astonishing $94,400 topped all the pieces offered during the three-day auction. Despite its age, the Indian figure was deemed to be in excellent condition and still had much of its original paint. Mike Eckles of Showtime Auction Services described the figure, saying: “This was one of the best-looking cigar store figures we've had the pleasure of selling. It was no surprise to me that it came close to the $100,000 mark.”

That wraps up this edition of cigar news for April on Puff.com. Keep coming back for more news from around the cigar industry as it becomes available.