LCDH Panama City - Flying the Jolly Roger at full-mast

[arfdog]

Visited the LCDH in Multicentro Mall today for the first time in a few months. The last time there were some definite fakes in the store but there were a few boxes which externally at least looked correct, correct-appearance code, etc. Today I will say with 100% certainity that not a single full-box of cigars in this store was authentic. Details follow:

First - probably only 30 complete boxes in this store, a new all-time low. Maybe 25. This does not reflect authenticity but the number of boxes in store is lower every time i go.

Bolivar Royal Coronas (2) and Belicosos Finos (cab, 1) - No factory code on any of these.

R&J - only 3 boxes of Tubos of 2 vitolas total (Romeos), all have the slightly odd factory code the other fake tubos here have, and IIRC used the same 2 fake actual stamps (fact/date) my fake tubos of other vitolas have.

Montecristo - 4 of the #x vitolas here, all but one of the 6 boxes had NO factory code. The one that did had the fake small-font blue SVF DIC 05 code that is appearing on a number of fakes from all vitolas/brands. They also had a MC 'A' with no warranty seal, no idea if the box was the correct box. No factory code there either.

Cohiba - most of the Siglo line, Esplendidos and 3 boxes of a smaller vitola with no vitola name, factory code, or warranty seal. The esplendidos were in the wrong box, FC not present, seals reversed. The siglos simply had no factory code except a couple of boxes, though the code font/spacing looked funny.

HdM Churchills (only HDM present, 1 box) has the fake small blue SVF DIC 05 code as seen above on MC #?.

San CdlH and Robaina each had one box with no factory code.

and the only non-existent vitola in the store today I am sure of was:

Partagas Series D #1, REGULAR issue, NOT EL. same unvarnished wood box as the other Serie products, but no factory code and certainly no EL 2004 (or anything else) stickers. Have also seen this particular fake at the big fake store here which has the most complete line of fakes in Panama, and the best selection of vitolas which do not actually exist.

the single-stick wall is composed of sticks either of great age (there is some stuff from the late 90's here that apparently sat in a dry warehouse for years and while probably authentic is garbage) and obvious fakes (a bol. smaller vitola (no name on box) with one of those photo-copy warranty seals you see (shiny light green) but with a box code of 2000. Garbage either way.

If I could get pictures of this I would but I suspect that is impossible.

The 35390 fake sticks confiscated in Paris last September had been sent from Panama. The line of fakes here now must have 80+ vitolas from 8 or 9 brands.

There are no authentics to be had in panama, period.

 

[Ginseng]

Partagas Series D #1, REGULAR issue, NOT EL. same unvarnished wood box as the other Serie products, but no factory code and certainly no EL 2004 (or anything else) stickers. Have also seen this particular fake at the big fake store here which has the most complete line of fakes in Panama, and the best selection of vitolas which do not actually exist.

Arf,

That is some crazy stuff you're reporting. It sounds like Panama is one wild, wild frontier as far as counterfeits go.

Thank you for your continued reporting from the front.

Some truly unique fakes appear to be coming out of that country. Exhilirating and frightening at the same time.

Wilkey

 

[cigar smoke]

Hi Arf........It sounds pretty scary what you found over there.......Too bad the Cuban gov't doesnt apparently monitor their franchises very well or this would not happen ....They should shut this LCDH down period!!!!!!! LCDH's stand for authenticity.........Not in this case......Always buyer beware........

Bob

 

[arfdog]

Hi Arf........It sounds pretty scary what you found over there.......Too bad the Cuban gov't doesnt apparently monitor their franchises very well or this would not happen ....They should shut this LCDH down period!!!!!!! LCDH's stand for authenticity.........Not in this case......Always buyer beware........

Bob

what i have been told by staff at one store (not the lcdh) is that it is the cuban embassy running/delivering these fakes. impossible to verify, but it would explain how they can do this with impunity. Given the completeness of the fake line of products available (I have seen something like 80 vitolas spanning 8 or 9 brands) in this small country with a very small population able to afford fake cuban cigars, it seems obvious to me panama is a trans-shipment point, not an end market.

 

[ThankYouForNotSmoking]

Partagas Series D #1, REGULAR issue, NOT EL. same unvarnished wood box as the other Serie products, but no factory code and certainly no EL 2004 (or anything else) stickers. Have also seen this particular fake at the big fake store here which has the most complete line of fakes in Panama, and the best selection of vitolas which do not actually exist.

Arf,

That is some crazy stuff you're reporting. It sounds like Panama is one wild, wild frontier as far as counterfeits go.

Thank you for your continued reporting from the front.

Some truly unique fakes appear to be coming out of that country. Exhilirating and frightening at the same time.

Wilkey

Wilkey,

You could probably write your fugazi Cuban cigar disseration on that store (the articles on vitolas.net are amazing).

 

[Ginseng]

Wilkey,

You could probably write your fugazi Cuban cigar disseration on that store (the articles on vitolas.net are amazing).

You said a mouthful.

Wilkey

 

[ThankYouForNotSmoking]

Wilkey,

You could probably write your fugazi Cuban cigar disseration on that store (the articles on vitolas.net are amazing).

You said a mouthful.

Wilkey

Bottles tend to make me talky.

 

[cigar smoke]

Hi Arf........It sounds pretty scary what you found over there.......Too bad the Cuban gov't doesnt apparently monitor their franchises very well or this would not happen ....They should shut this LCDH down period!!!!!!! LCDH's stand for authenticity.........Not in this case......Always buyer beware........

Bob

what i have been told by staff at one store (not the lcdh) is that it is the cuban embassy running/delivering these fakes. impossible to verify, but it would explain how they can do this with impunity. Given the completeness of the fake line of products available (I have seen something like 80 vitolas spanning 8 or 9 brands) in this small country with a very small population able to afford fake cuban cigars, it seems obvious to me panama is a trans-shipment point, not an end market.

It seems to me that there are two things going on here......1) legit cigars are not being received from Habonos S.A approved distributors...... 2) Fakes are widely available.......The bottom line is Habanos S.A. is not doing there job........Due to the poor money situation in Cuba they probably cant get to all their franchises to inspect their products and invoices for recievables....I know for fact that in the caribbean these franchises are monitered by Cuban officials for exactly what is going on in Panama....

Bob

 

[arfdog]

Hi Arf........It sounds pretty scary what you found over there.......Too bad the Cuban gov't doesnt apparently monitor their franchises very well or this would not happen ....They should shut this LCDH down period!!!!!!! LCDH's stand for authenticity.........Not in this case......Always buyer beware........

Bob

what i have been told by staff at one store (not the lcdh) is that it is the cuban embassy running/delivering these fakes. impossible to verify, but it would explain how they can do this with impunity. Given the completeness of the fake line of products available (I have seen something like 80 vitolas spanning 8 or 9 brands) in this small country with a very small population able to afford fake cuban cigars, it seems obvious to me panama is a trans-shipment point, not an end market.

It seems to me that there are two things going on here......1) legit cigars are not being received from Habonos S.A approved distributors...... 2) Fakes are widely available.......The bottom line is Habanos S.A. is not doing there job........Due to the poor money situation in Cuba they probably cant get to all their franchises to inspect their products and invoices for recievables....I know for fact that in the caribbean these franchises are monitered by Cuban officials for exactly what is going on in Panama....

Bob

There was a time recently when many boxes at LCDH had the cozumel (mexico) distributor seal (some tubos still do but they are still fake in any event), and I have been told the former habanos distributor in Panama closed some time back, thus cozumel is now the theoretical distributor. The only way NO habanos can find their way onto shelves of any store here, including LCDH, is complicity at some level in the cuban distribution/political control scene locally and maybe at Cozumel, given the presence of fakes with their seal.

In any event, the local embassy must be involved for it to be this flagrant, otherwise the commercial rep or whatever zampolit-type person does this stuff would just go to the mall and see the LCDH with a shelf of cohiba boxes, a third with no warranty seal, some with no vitola name, one in the wrong box, and almost all with no factory codes. Even a bored bureaucrat would get this.

It is annoying, several years ago LCDH was in the banking district, had a walk-in humidor with 400+ boxes which must have spanned almost the entire Habanos SA line. there was a management change and now the guy stuck it in the most moribund retail mall he could have, and even put a store in the bus terminal under a different name to avoid paying additional franchise fees.