Cuban exiles send gifts home via Web

By Laura Wides-Munoz

updated 6:10 p.m. ET Dec. 25, 2006

MIAMI - A small but growing number of Cubans in South Florida are getting around the U.S. embargo that limits what can be sent to the communist island by sending their Christmas gifts through foreign Internet sites.

At least one Canadian Web site, http://www.cubamaxstore.com allows people to ship items such as beef, jams and even deodorant to relatives in Cuba. While the gifts aren't the I-Pods and Sony PlayStations that Americans crave, they are much appreciated by Cubans who earn an average of $10 to $15 a month and often struggle to put enough food on the table.

The trend exemplifies the creative ways Cuban families are seeking to stay connected, despite the restrictions on travel and exports imposed by the governments on both sides of the Florida Straits, said Cuban-American activist Ramon Saul Sanchez.

"Fortunately, people try to keep in touch with their families. Unfortunately, they have to go through all these measures," he said.

Antonio Conte, who left Cuba in the early 1990s and edits an online magazine of articles written by Cuban dissidents, recently ordered meat and other items to his adult daughter and son who live in Cuba. He said it was easier than going through one of the few authorized parcel services and safer than returning to the island.

"My uncle told me about it. It's better to send food there instead of money. It's not so expensive, and you can help a bit." Conte said. "In Cuba you have your ration card, and you get chicken only once in a while. Only the children and the sick get meat."

A gift basket of assorted canned meats and other snacks costs about $60. The Web site also offers electronics and appliances, although no one interviewed for this article said they purchased such items.

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