Zainal Baqer Mohebi, a prominent Cuban cigar retailer in the Middle East, has passed away.

Through his company, Baqer Mohebi Enterprises, he began importing Cuban cigars into Dubai. In 1988, the company would open the first of five La Casa del Habano franchises throughout the United Arab Emirates and Oman.

In 2004, he was awarded the Habanos Man of the Year award in the business category. Habanos S.A. issued a statement on his passing.

His companies operate businesses in a variety of fields including food, logistics and travel.

Overall Score

Avatar photo

Charlie Minato

I am an editor and co-founder of halfwheel.com/Rueda Media, LLC. I previously co-founded and published TheCigarFeed, one of the two predecessors of halfwheel. I have written about the cigar industry for more than a decade, covering everything from product launches to regulation to M&A. In addition, I handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes stuff here at halfwheel. I enjoy playing tennis, watching boxing, falling asleep to the Le Mans 24, wearing sweatshirts year-round and eating gyros. echte liebe.