Back from Varadero Cuba

[mithrilG60]

Originally Posted by hotreds

I'm surprised they let you bring that many cigars back?? Is there any kind of quota into Canada?

Technically you're allowed 50 cigars per person, in reality it depends largely on who you get when you come back through customs (you don't want the summer students since they're usually sticklers for enforcing the rules) and how you handle yourself at the wicket. I also know from this thread on another board that the OP had several mules in his party to spread this out amongst so it's not like he brought them all through himself.

In my experience as long as as you're 100% honest in your declaration and it's not ridiculously excessive you are generally fine. Of course if they catch you in a lie you can expect to be charged up the ying-yang. The local group's track record seems to be that anything under 200 sticks per person usually gets let through w/o charge in Vancouver. We also have one of the busiest borders in Canada and definitely the most cross-border shopping so it may be different in other Canadian first port of calls. My wife and I were in Varadero last Oct and brought back double our limit of both tobacco and alcohol.... my haul didn't look anything near as crazy as this one.

Of course I seem to have very good luck at the border anyways. Like many in Vancouver I buy a lot of stuff online and have it drop shipped to Blaine, WA where I pick it up and drive it back. I always declare the full value of goods I'm bringing across and have yet to be charged any tax or duties despite the fact that I'm rarely in the US for longer than is required to pickup my parcels and drive back to the border so there's no exemptions applicable. Even when I brought my Aristocrat home, and had to explain in detail to the customs agent how a "wooden end table" could possibly be worth the declared value, I was just waived through.