Counterfeit Cigars

Miami - Cigar aficionados beware: those handmade Montecristos, Cohibas and Romeo y Julietas may not be the premium smokes they seem.

Law enforcement and cigar industry officials say counterfeiters are marketing millions of dollars in fake upscale cigars, some even pretending to be authentic Cubans that are illegal to sell in the United States. A recent crackdown has uncovered several major counterfeit operations, including one in Miami that resulted in the seizure of more than $20 million in fake stogies, labels and packaging."

The person that's hurt the most is the consumer," said Theo Folz, president and chief executive officer of Fort Lauderdale-based Altadis USA, the world's largest maker and distributor of cigars. "We have developed products and built up on image and built up an expectation among the consumers. Guys put their money down. They want the real thing."

...send in the Lawyers...

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