fine

An illegal hotel was closed down for three months in Amsterdam's West-Indischebuurt earlier this week. The hotel was discovered during extra checks the city is doing this week and next, Het Parool reports.

The illegal hotel was closed due to fire hazards, according to the newspaper. The apartment offered six rooms to rent under names like the Harry Potter Room and the Van Gogh room. Eleven people were staying in the apartment. The illegal hotel was boarded up and the owner and tenant of the apartment were each fined 20,500 euros.

The police fined around 25 people for photographing or filming the aftermath of a fatal accident on the A58 highway near Bavel on Saturday. The fines were issued based on license plate numbers. Drivers who had their phones in their hands near the accident can expect a fine, De Gelderlander reports.

Anyone who hangs a hammock in an Amsterdam park could face a fine of 230 euros, Amsterdam resident Lars Duursma found out over the weekend, he told AT5.

Duursma and his girlfriend hung their hammock in Sarphatipark on Saturday. According to him, they were not drunk and did not cause any trouble. Two enforcement officers appeared and told them to remove the hammock, or face a fine of 230 euros.

The enforcement officers told them that it has been a rule for years that you are not allowed to attach anything to a tree or lamppost anywhere in the city.

The Dutch food and consumer product safety authority NVWA imposed fines on Japan Tobacco International (JTI) for making exclusivity agreements with Dutch student associations, a spokesperson for the NVWA confirmed to news wire ANP.

A 44-year-old man from Sprang-Capelle in Noord-Brabant was fined 250 euros for trying to sell his ballots for the municipal elections and referendum on online market place Martplaats, Omroep Brabant reports.

The man posted the ad online last Tuesday. He wanted to sell his ballots for the municipal election and the referendum on the intelligence agencies' new law, both of which are happening on Wednesday, in an open bid. "I never vote myself, in this way I can make another person happy", he said on the ad, according to the broadcaster. 

The French authorities are implementing stricter measures on drug use in skiing areas, focusing especially on Dutch and Spanish tourists. Most of the narcotics seized on the French ski slopes come from Netherlands and Spain, according to France's customs, NOS reports.

In the ski year 2015-2016, nearly 500 kilograms of weed, cocaine, and ecstasy, among others, were confiscated in the French Alps. Skiing is increasingly becoming a party holiday for many young people, according to the broadcaster. French media already refers to people using cocaine on the slopes as 'snow sniffers'. 

Someone snapped a photo of Sinterklaas peeing against a building in Amsterdam. The photo was sent to community police officer Frank Westerop, who posted it on Twitter on Tuesday.

"Is this what is meant by 'and sprinkle some sweets... in one corner or another'?" the officer jokingly tweeted. He also wondered about whether or not to fine the Sint. "Because I also want something in my shoe later on!"

The arrest of a gang of graffiti taggers at a subway station in Amsterdam Nieuw-West, was aired on television program De Meldkamer on Sunday night. A total of five vandals were arrested. One had to go to hospital, because he received a 750 volt electric shock while fleeing over the subway tracks before the police turned off the power, AT5 reports.

Dutch campers club NKC launched a special hotline for customers after receiving reports that several people were threatened by camper companies after placing a bad review online. Some customers report being intimidated, threatened with lawsuits or even fines of up to 5 thousand euros, the Volkskrant reports. 

A  55-year-old man from Tilburg lost his driver's license on Wednesday night after he was caught driving nearly 100 kilometers per hour over the speed limit through his home town. 

The police caught the man driving 176 km/h on Burgemeester Letschertweg, where the speed limit is 80 kilometers per hour. 

The traffic cop, who caught the man with a laser gun speed trap, confiscated the Tilburg man's driver's license immediately. He was also fined. The amount of the fine, and the period of time the man's driver's license will be suspended, will be determined by the Prosecutor. 

Amsterdam-Zuid took extra measures to remove all doubts about the fact that no scooters are allowed in the passage under the Rijksmuseum. These include more and clearer signage and fines, Het Parool reports.