5th Avenue Pauses Cuban Cigar Deliveries in Germany, Austria, Poland Over Banking Freeze

5th Avenue Products Trading GmbH — the distributor of Cuban cigars in Austria, Germany, and Poland — informed clients on Friday that it is unable to take and deliver new orders due to what the company called temporary banking restrictions. A letter to retailers from managing director Christoph A. Puszkar cited an “ongoing compliance and sanctions review affecting one of our shareholders” (translated), stressing the measures are not related to product quality, service, or existing business relationships.

The letter gives no timeline: the company says it cannot accept new orders or ship goods “until further notice” while it works with external experts and partners on solutions. For smokers in those three markets, that means the flow of Havanas stops at the distributor's door until the banking connections reopen.

Halfwheel reports the issue is almost certainly tied to Chen Zhi, the Chinese national holding a 28.55 percent stake in Habanos S.A. (and indirectly a smaller piece of 5th Avenue), following a U.S. indictment last fall, fresh EU restrictions in late July, and court-supervised liquidation proceedings over his holdings. Recent filings put the Cuban government plus Tabacalera/Allied Cigar at 56 percent ownership of 5th Avenue, with Chen holding just under 16 percent through Allied Cigar — Villiger is also a partner. None of the cigar businesses face allegations tied to the underlying case.