Novi Pazar: Counterfeit Goods Seized, Trader Arrested
Counterfeit goods worth about 13,624,820 dinars were seized in Novi Pazar on order of the prosecutor's office. O. M. (37) was arrested, and four unregistered workers were found on the premises.
Police in Novi Pazar arrested O. M. (37) on suspicion of storing counterfeit branded goods in a business space he uses. The goods are valued at roughly 13,624,820 dinars. The arrest was carried out on order of the Novi Pazar Basic Public Prosecutor’s Office, and the Interior Ministry (MUP) announced the operation on August 6, 2026.
Officers from the Criminal Police Directorate’s Crime Suppression Service and its Economic Crime Suppression Department took part in the raid, together with the Novi Pazar Police Department. The operation was carried out jointly with the Republic Market Inspectorate, which seized the counterfeit goods.
What was found on site
MUP says the inspection of the business premises turned up a large quantity of counterfeit goods bearing protected trademarks of well known global brands. The statement does not name the brands or say how many items were seized, only the total value.
What the inspection established comes down to three points:
- counterfeit goods bearing protected trademarks, worth roughly 13,624,820 dinars
- four workers found on site who were not registered for mandatory pension and disability insurance
- two charges in the criminal complaint: unauthorized use of another’s business name and other special markings of goods or services, and violation of labor and social insurance rights
Why are workers mentioned alongside the counterfeits?
Because the same inspection opened a second case. Further checks established that four people found on the premises were not registered for mandatory pension and disability insurance.
For police that is a separate basis for suspicion, so the charge tied to labor rights was added to the one tied to counterfeiting. The suspect is charged with both offenses.
The photos show a factory floor, not a shop
The photographs MUP released with its statement shift the focus of the story. They show no shop shelves, only two rows of circular knitting machines for socks, a finishing line and press, work tables and black bags of finished product. On one belt lie dark socks bearing the logo of a well known sportswear brand.
That means the suspicion is not only about selling someone else’s trademark, but about manufacturing it. Novi Pazar has for decades been one of Serbia’s textile production hubs, with a dense network of small knitting and finishing workshops, and that capacity is what separates a street stall with a few hundred items from a facility where the goods are made.
The suspect has been ordered held for up to 48 hours, after which he will be brought before the competent prosecutor’s office along with the criminal complaint. The presumption of innocence applies until a final court ruling.
