If this is inappropriate feel free to delete this thread, but I was wondering if anyone knows the answer to this question.

Why are Cuban cigars so much more expensive than non-Cuban cigars? For example, a box of R&J churchill sized Cuban cigars will be hundreds of US dollars, no? (I'm talking about buying them in countries where it's legal to possess them, NOT black market US or buying them outside the US with the intent to bring them into the US). However a similar box of non-Cubans can sometimes be LESS than 100 USD. I've enjoyed both Cuban cigars (NOT in US) and non-Cubans, and cannot say one is better than the other. Any reasons as to the big price difference?