Accepting a shipment of Cuban cigars from anywhere in the world can get you a $10,000 fine from the Dept. of Treasury. No Cuban goods from any destination can be accepted as either a purchase a gift in the U.S. If you are greedy and buy so much as to make the Treasury boys believe you are reselling them in the U.S., you will get federal prison time. That’s what an economic embargo is. All trade with Cuba is illegal.
Unknown to many Americans, however, it is legal to visit Cuba. But it is illegal to spend any American wealth in Cuba—and that includes any other currency one may use during their stay as it will be assumed by Treasury that any currency spent in Cuba was purchased sometime down the line by U.S. dollars.
As to the embargo: as long as the extremely wealthy and powerful Diaz-Balart Family is on this planet and able to unite the progeny other powerful Cuban ex-patriot families who took a major hit when their industries were nationalized beginning in 1959—including the extensive Batista family (political power, theft of Cuban treasury, international banking, International Telephone and Telegraph, land, Daiquiri Iron Mines, sugar, tobacco, Texas oil and vast amounts of U.S real estate), the Fuentes (Tobacco, land), the Diaz-Balarts (political position, Daiquiri Iron Mines, IT&T, land, international banking), the Bacardis (Rum, beer, medicinal alcohol, sugar), the Fanjuls (Big Sugar, Land, Coca-Cola, various brands of popular soft drinks sold around the developing world), and others—the embargo will not end. Money and power held in a few angry Cuban expatriots’ hands through an American political system which allows legal bribery, keep this embargo going; not the American people.