Habanos' Proximity to Sanctioned Entities and the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR)

Leopoldo Cintra Gonzalez was previously commersial director at Elite Trading Scandinavia, or Habanos Nordic as it was called at the time, and lived in Gothenburg between 2010–2018. Two years later, Leopoldo Cintra Gonzalez was sanctioned by the US alongside his father, Leopoldo Cintra Frías—the former Minister of Defence (FAR)—and other relatives. GAESA has been on OFAC's sanctions list since 2020, which was expanded in scope by an executive order on May 1st this year, according to a press release signed by Marco Rubio. GAESA is thus owned by the military and controls Cuba's entire export industry, and thereby also its foreign currency.

Published: 2026-07-12, at 15.25, Written by: Hatem Sabbagh, publisher/editor-in-chief of Cigarrvärlden & Managing Director of Cigarrklubben CK Sverige AB. Photo: Skjoldbro - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=89882319

We use AI and Google Translate for translations, with some review to enhance readability. Pardon the Spanglish.

Disclaimer: Cigarrvärlden is owned and operated by Cigarrklubben CK Sverige AB, which also operates a cigar club and has a foot in both camps. To put it mildly. Divison and separation of operations and the editorial is explained under the section "Conflicts of Interest (in Swedish)". Cigarrvärlden operates under a ‘certificate of no legal impediment to publication conferring constitutional protection’ (utgivningsbevis). With this certificate, Cigarrvärlden enjoys a special legal status in Swedish law under the freedom of expression act. Cigarrklubben CK Sverige AB does not sell and have ever sold cigars or tobacco in any way, shape or form. 

GAESA, or formally GRUPO DE ADMINISTRACION EMPRESARIAL S.A., is a Cuban company controlled by the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces without oversight from the state apparatus, which the New York Times recently reported in an article. GAESA was founded by Fidel's brother Raúl, who later became president of Cuba. Raúl reportedly had a significantly better grasp of economics than Fidel and was early on concerned about the funding of the military following the fall of the Soviet Union. This led to the founding of GAESA and the military taking control over it. What GAESA primarily took control of was the country's lucrative export industry and thus the hard currency, mainly USD, according to Cigarrvärlden's sources. According to Cigarrvärlden's sources, this means that ownership of the Cuban tobacco monopoly, or Habanos as it is known, should lie under GAESA; however, this is not information that Cigarrvärlden has been able to confirm. If that is the case, it would represent an additional aggravating circumstance beyond the EU sanctions imposed on Chen Zhi in late July.

Leopoldo Cintra Gonzalez 2010-2018

Leopoldo Cintra Gonzalez was commercial director for Elite Trading Scandinavia, when it was called Habanos Nordic AB and was under the leadership of Stephan Praetorius, who at the time was the managing director but now runs The Premium Company Nordic with connections to Elite Trading Scandinavia and Habanos. Between the years 2010 and 2018, Leopoldo Cintra Gonzalez was registered as living in Sweden and resided at Smyckesgatan, Björkhöjdsvägen, and Norra Dragspelsvägen in Gothenburg. In April 2018, he emigrated from Sweden.

Image 1: Excerpt from the civil registration database, source: Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket)

Between 2010 and 2015, according to the Swedish Tax Agency, he received a total of SEK 3 million in salary in Sweden. Between 2016 and 2018, he declared no income, but this is likely explained by the fact that he in March 2016 got a new job within the Habanos Group, at least according to Halfwheel and several other cigar media outlets.

Image 2: Excerpt from the tax register, source: Swedish Tax Agency (Skatteverket)

Between 2016 and 2023, Leopoldo Cintra Gonzalez sat on the board of the British importer Hunters & Frankau Ltd, which is half-owned by Altabana S.L. while the other half is locally owned. Altabana S.L. is half-owned by the Cuban state and half by Chen Zhi, who is subject to OFAC and EU sanctions and is currently in a Chinese prison facing the death penalty.

Image 3: Organizational chart compiled by Cigarrvärlden focusing on the EU (the UK and Hunters & Frankau Ltd are not included here).

Whether GAESA owns Habanos or not has not confirmed by Cigarrvärlden; nor is there likely any reasonable way to confirm it. When Cuba's Comptroller General expressed frustration over the lack of transparency, the Audtitor General lost her job after 14 years of servce.

This marks the second time Habanos has had close proximity to a sanctioned entity.

Footnote: Cigarrvärlden is seeking representatives for Elite Trading Scandinavia AB and Habanos in Spain. Cigarrvärlden has tried to reach Stephan Praetorius to no avail.