Three people were arrested on Monday night during a police raid on at least one of Maastricht’s cannabis cafes.

The raid followed a warning last Thursday by the city’s mayor Onno Hoes that legal action would be taken if the cafes went ahead with plans to sell marijuana to non-residents on Sunday.

The local cannabis cafe association told Nos that several of its members were raided on Monday night, but police deny this.

The three arrested were two managers and a staff member. All the soft drugs on the premises were confiscated.

By law the cafes, known as coffee shops, are only allowed to sell marijuana to people who officially live in the Netherlands. But the local association decided to sell to non-residents on Sunday to mark the Liberation Day celebrations.

The law banning foreigners is being called into question by mayors in several large cities, who say they will use their discretion about imposing the ban.