The United States Treasury Department has tightened its prohibitions against U.S. citizens importing or consuming Cuban cigars.
The department's Office of Foreign Assets Control has announced in a notice posted on the Internet that even Americans licensed to bring back up to $100 worth of Cuban goods will no longer be allowed to include tobacco products in what they carry. Previously, those licensed were exempted from what was otherwise a total import ban on Cuban tobacco products.
The notice also clarifies that Americans are barred from not only purchasing Cuban goods in foreign countries, but also from consuming them in those countries.
The penalties for violating the prohibitions include maximum criminal fines for individuals of $250,000 and imprisonment for up to 10 years. Corporations can be fined as much as a million dollars.
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