On Havana’s northern edge sits the Malecón, an iconic roadway lined with pastel-colored baroque buildings on one side and an aging seawall on the other. Just a short distance away, in historic “Old Havana,” black-market cigar traders disguised as tourists busily push high-end Cubans for a fraction of store price.

Among the crowds, one might even spot some unexpected customers: North Korean diplomats.

While many Americans value Cuban cigars for their rich flavor and novelty as a kind of “forbidden fruit,” these cash-strapped DPRK officials see the treasured parejos as something else — namely, an opportunity ripe for smuggling.

When