Dominican authorities confiscate, destroy counterfeit cigars

Santiago.– Over 1,100 boxes of counterfeit cigars confiscated from Dominican shops and tourist spots were incinerated on Tuesday in Santiago de los Caballeros city.

According to the Dominican Tobacco Institute chief Adalberto Rosa, the counterfeit stogies bore the labels of prestigious brands such as Romeo y Julieta, Montecristo, Partagas, Cohiba, Macanudo, Arturo Fuentes, and Davidoff.

Rosa said the pirated merchandise was seized from locations in the eastern resorts of Bayahibe and Bavaro, and the colonial quarter of Santo Domingo and Santiago. He added that his entity would continue to crack down on counterfeit cigars.

The nominal value of the destroyed merchandise was estimated at more than RD$2.16 million.