Now that I had a chance to do some research, I wanted to reach out and see if anyone has any success in recovering g cigars seized my CBP. Got my first letter ever from them today. Or should I just consider the cigars long gone?
I know someone who battled to get a box out of customs, and eventually did get them. It was an unbanded reboxed shipment of CoRos. It took a long time, and they weren't in good shape when he got them, and he was on first name basis with some of the agents where ever it was that they were seized.
Other than that, in 20+yrs on the interwebz I've never heard of one getting them back.