ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, October 14, 1996 TAG: 9610150061
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 3 EDITION: METRO
As cigars continue to gain cachet, the number of illegal Cuban cigars smuggled into the United States is going up.
Some recent cases:
* Aug. 5, 1996: Authorities seize 122 boxes of Cuban cigars from a 29-foot power boat in the Bahamas. Estimated value - $57,000. Officials call it the largest seizure ever of illegal cigars.
* June 21, 1996: The U.S. Border Patrol discovers 2,874 Cuban cigars in brush along a traditional smuggling route east of Nogales, Ariz. Estimated value - $71,850.
* June 12, 1996: Three men were arrested in Tucson, Ariz., when they tried to sell 2,000 Cuban cigars for $48,000.
* Dec. 9, 1995: a Key West, Fla., sailboat skipper was found carrying 29 boxes of Cuban cigars.
* Aug. 25, 1995: Two men arrested in Key West with 2,700 Cuban cigars. They tell authorities they'd hoped to turn $3,600 worth of cigars into a $28,000 profit.
- ASSOCIATED PRESS
LENGTH: Short : 30 linesby CNB