Unlicensed shopping mall hiding in plain sight at Utrecht storage facility

The municipality of Utrecht discovered an unlicensed shopping mall in a parking garage in Utrecht Overvecht on Wednesday, the municipality said in a statement. 77 storage units in the garage were being used for business purposes. The municipality found six sisha lounges, several garage companies, multiple goods repair shops, a gym and a hair salon.

The parking garage was checked by municipal workers and the police following several reports about irregular behavior from local residents. "The activity in and around the garage complex continued late into the night", the municipality said in a statement. It is illegal to use a storage facility for workspace or for commercial storage, the municipality said. The garage can only be used for parking.

The police confiscated a hundred bicycles and scooters, a stripped car, a safe that had been broken open, and equipment used for cannabis cultivation.