This letter was mailed to me this morning. It was sent to me by a couple of friends of Abel's that went to visit him just a few days earlier. They just returned home to Spain and sent me this message. These are Abel's words, the first in it's original form and the 2nd a rough translation.
of purchase of Cuban
cigars that Abel's son and his partner made for Intertabac in Switzerland. Its
selling point is small, but well mounted, in the Swiss city of Nyon.
Day 14/3/13 they were released on bail and now they are awaiting trial. Everyone who we count among his friends want this finished as soon as possible and their lives back to normal.
We would like that all the attention that's been put into investigating these people, also be used to remove the large number of sellers of fake tobacco that surround the Partagas store. These sellers of fake tobacco are not only a nuisance but also give a bad name to the tobacco industry that has taken care of Abel all these years.
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Abril- 2013
Escribo esta opinión después de
hablar personalmente con Abel una vez pasados 2 días desde su puesta en
libertad.
El 24/10/12 detuvieron a Abel padre,
a su hijo Abel, al chófer Ricardo y a Jorgito (extrabajador de computación de
la fábrica de Partagás).
Los cargos fueron:
A Abel padre se le ocuparon 250
tabacos en 8 mazos que el compraba a los trabajadores de la fábrica(la llamada
FUMA DEL TORCEDOR) para obsequiar a los clientes que hacían compras
significativas en la tienda o para degustar con un café o un ron en la sala
VIP. Estas compras se hacían con el
dinero de las propinas ya que el presupuesto que en la tienda tienen,
solo les alcanza para café, ron y algunos puros de torcedora. En la oficina de
la fábrica, el tenía documentación y cajas vacías que debían entregarse a la
empresa y notaba que le estaban faltando. Para dar salida a los tabacos que no
vendían en otras tiendas del país y que le llegaban en cajas viejas, el
utilizaba las cajas vacías de venta de tabaco suelto. Los anillos sobrantes de
eventos,se colocaban junto a los de las marcas en los tabacos (en dependencia
del año) y se vendían en el área de individuales. Se le ocuparon 2 tipos de
anillos Cohiba, unos verdaderos y otros falsos
(muy pocos) que el utilizaba en
las clases que impartía para enseñar a diferenciarlos.
El agradece las muestras de cariño
recibidas desde varias partes del mundo.El trato que recibieron fue correcto y
con todas las garantías de derecho. Su salud se atendió desde el primer
momento.
Su hijo Abel,fue detenido en casa y no en el
aeropuerto como se ha comentado. Le
acusaron de actividad económica ilícita. Las compras que su hijo hacía en
Partagás fueron verificadas, su abogado mostró las facturas de compra de tabaco
cubano que Abel hijo y su socio hacían a Intertabac en Suiza. Su punto de venta
es pequeño, pero bien montado, en la ciudad suiza de Nyon.
A Jorgito se le acusa de hacer anillos
personalizados para bodas, cumpleaños etc…, esos anillos se ponían en los
habanos comprados por los buenos clientes en la tienda y SIEMPRE JUNTO A LOS
ANILLOS DE LAS MARCAS.
El día 14/3/13 fueron puestos en
libertad bajo fianza y en este momento están esperando juicio. Todos los que
nos contamos entre sus amigos deseamos que esto acabe cuanto antes y sus vidas
vuelvan a la normalidad.
Nos gustaría que todo el celo que
están poniendo en investigar a esas personas, también lo emplearan en eliminar
de los alrededores de la tienda de Partagás a la gran cantidad de
vendedores de tabaco falso que tanto
molestan y dan tan mala imagen de ese maravilloso mundo del tabaco que también
ha sabido cuidar nuestro amigo Abel.
This letter was written 2 days after his release:
The Arrested were: Abel, Abel's son Abel, the driver Ricardo and Jorgito (ex-worker at Partagas)
The Charges were: Abel was found with 250 cigars (8 bundles) at the store which he had bought from the workers in the factory for giving away (house smokes) to customers who made substantial purchases or friends of the house to enjoy with their rum or coffee in the VIP room. These cigars were purchased with Abel's tip money. He goes on to say that the In-Store budget only allows for a few cigars, coffee and rum. He had documentation for the purchases as well as empty boxes. He talks about rings that were left over from previous events and boxes....I can't quite make out what he's saying but it's intent is that he had all the paperwork in order.
He appreciates all the tokens of affection he's received from various parts of the world. The treatment he's received while being detained was civil and within all the guarantees of Cuban law. His health was attended to from the first moment.
Abel's son was arrested at home and not at the airport as mentioned.
They accused him of illegal economic activity. The purchases Abelito made in the Partagas store were verified, Abel's lawyer showed the invoices
Jorgito was accused of making personalized cigar bands for weddings, birthdays etc. However, these
rings were put on the cigars purchased by good customers in the store and
always together with the rings of the original cigar.
Day 14/3/13 they were released on bail and now they are awaiting trial. Everyone who we count among his friends want this finished as soon as possible and their lives back to normal.
We would like that all the attention that's been put into investigating these people, also be used to remove the large number of sellers of fake tobacco that surround the Partagas store. These sellers of fake tobacco are not only a nuisance but also give a bad name to the tobacco industry that has taken care of Abel all these years.
AS I SAID, THE ABOVE IS A ROUGH TRANSLATION
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Most Recent Picture of Abel and his Son
In reality I am wondering when the government will stop been so stiff about small businesses. I actually believe that Cuban government should open up to small Tobacco growers (like they did with Robaina but a bit more opened up), to small Tabacco Store Bouitiques. Let's say they let small companies to produce Cigars (same like in Dominican Republic: Arturo Fuente, La Flor Dominicana just to mention some bigger ones) then they should let small retailers like it is in America. They would charge taxes, they would sell wholesale to them and I am pretty sure no one will need to steal or at least they will them prosecute the right people. I don't really don't know who this people are but what I can tell you is that in Cuba, the Illegal nature of business is almost everything. Hope this will change some day! still love my country even more everyday.
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ReplyDeleteI agree with you and love your country too.
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