Sounds like foreigners should not do business via US companies

[paulw]

"US snubs out legal cigar transaction"

http://cphpost.dk/news/international/us-snubs-out-legal-cigar-transaction

"Authorities in the US have refused to return 137,000 kroner that was confiscated from a Danish policeman who attempted to legally purchase Cuban cigars from Germany.:


Looks like the US Gov is getting to see it's self as the world police force..

[Brian Ellis]

I would simply call that theft. Denounce the President of the USA for this felony!

[Jammrock]

What you don't say is that those cigars were routed through the US. The distributor should have made sure the product stayed in free trade zones where customs can't touch them.

Anyway, the US is still a stickler about their embargo of Cuban made goods. Once the Castro's finally kick it maybe that will all end.

[Brian Ellis]

Uh! What made you think the cigars transited by the USA? The one major wholesaler/retailer of Cuban cigars in Hamburg is also a direct importer, with their own people in Cuba. Even in the very unlikely event that the cigars did transit by the USA, the US has no jurisdiction on their embargo outside US-controlled territories and neither country involved was the 51st State, to the best of my knowledge.

AFAIK, this transaction was perfectly legal between 2 EU member-states and had absolutely bugger-all to do with the USA that apparently STOLE money that didn't belong to anyone in the USA. I presume it was a legal credit card transaction, probably via Diner's Club or Amex. The transaction was a passage of electronic money and the card issuers have no right not to complete it as it did not involve anything illegal, provided that the client was within his limit.\

This kind of apparent high-handed action incenses me.

[cjolley]

What's even more scary is: How the heck did the subject of Cuba ever come up in the banking transaction?
Wasn't this simply a funds transfer from one EU bank to another?


PS And that now I can't even get to www.cphpost.dk at all.
PPS For what it's worth, I have always thought the Cuba embargo was counterproductive and a little nuts.

[Jammrock]

Ah, transaction. My bad I would agree in this case. That's outright theft. The US should have no right to stop that transaction since it was a legal German/Danish sale.