5th Avenue Products Trading, the official Habanos distributor for Germany, Austria and Poland, announced on September 8 that it is halting shipments of Cuban cigars to retailers in the region. The decision follows the European Union’s July 2026 sanctions against Chen Zhi, founder of Prince Holding Group, for serious human rights violations. The same businessman had been indicted in the United States in October 2025 on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.
The link to the cigar world: since 2020, Prince Group has held, through intermediary companies, half of Habanos S.A., the firm that markets brands such as Cohiba, Montecristo and Partagás worldwide. Germany is Habanos’ fifth-largest market, and the distribution pause comes at a time when Cuban cigars are already hard to find and more expensive than ever. The topic is certain to dominate conversations at InterTabac, the trade fair opening this week in Dortmund.
For enthusiasts in Moldova, Mister Tabaco continues to offer a selection of Cuban and other cigars in the Cigars category.
Source: Cigar Aficionado