Cuban-U.S. Trade: Illicit, But Thriving

It's a sign of the times. On the streets of Havana, more and more of Cuba's vintage cars are giving way to late-model imports. This, despite a 37-year-old embargo.

CBS News Correspondent Randall Pinkston reports that American tourists are making Cuba a vacation destination, even though direct travel here is, for most, still illegal.

"That's one of the reasons we came you know, because we're not supposed to be here and this is kind of unique," explains a tourist from California.

American consumer products, usually imported through third party nations, are popular. And the currency driving this struggling economy is the American dollar, widely preferred over the Cuban peso.

"U. S. Companies have had a taste of Cuba," said John Kaviluch of the U.S.-Cuba Trade Council.

Kaviluch tracks U.S.-Cuba trade. He says American firms did $100 million in business here last year.

"Almost like a child in a candy store, once you've tasted what's in the store, then it's much harder to tell someone, 'You can't have it,'" said Kaviluch.

In the early stages of the Elian Gonzalez custody battle, American companies were worried that those emerging commercial ties would be ripped apart and that this crisis would follow past scripts and cause a total shut down.

It happened in 1994, when Castro allowed thousands to launch rafts to Florida, and again, two years later, when Cuba shot down two brothers' rescue aircraft. But this time, things did not come to a halt.

And that's good news for Steve Hodel. His Florida travel agency provides direct charters to Havana which account for 15 percent of his profit.

"It would be a shame to see something tragic happen to Cuba, and people not able to go there," said Hodel.

But, as always in relations with Fidel Castro, any new crisis could take cash out of both nation's hands.