Louvre hit by new criminal saga as employees arrested over €10 million ticket fraud

Nine people have been detained in connection with a suspected decade-long ticket fraud scheme at the Louvre, the world's most visited museum, Paris prosecutors announced on Thursday.

The alleged operation is believed to have defrauded the institution of more than €10m (£8.7m) over the past decade.

The arrests, which occurred on Tuesday, are part of a judicial investigation that commenced after the Louvre lodged a formal complaint in December 2024.

Among those taken into custody are two museum employees, several tour guides, and an individual suspected of being the mastermind behind the extensive fraud, according to the prosecutors' office.

The museum alerted investigators about the frequent presence of two Chinese tour guides suspected of bringing groups of Chinese tourists into the museum by fraudulently reusing the same tickets multiple times for different visitors. Other guides were later suspected of similar practices.

The prosecutors' office said surveillance and wiretaps confirmed repeated ticket reuse and an apparent strategy of splitting up tour groups to avoid paying the required “speaking fee” imposed on guides. The investigation also pointed to suspected accomplices within the Louvre, with guides allegedly paying them cash in exchange for avoiding ticket checks, it said.

A formal judicial investigation was opened in June last year on charges including organised fraud, money laundering, corruption, aiding illegal entry in the country as part of an organised group, and the use of forged administrative documents.

Investigators believe the network may have brought in up to 20 tour groups a day over the past decade.

Suspects are believed to have invested some of the money in real estate in France and Dubai. Authorities have seized more than €957,000 (£833,226) in cash, including €67,000 (£58,334) in foreign currency, as well as €486,000 (£423,145) from bank accounts.

The prosecutors’ office mentioned a similar ticket fraud is also suspected to have taken place at the Palace of Versailles, without providing further details.

In October, the crown jewels robbery at the Louvre drew worldwide attention to the museum, after a team of four people broke in through a window during visiting hours, and fled with an estimated €88 million (£76.6m) worth of treasures. Authorities have arrested several suspects in that case, but the stolen items remain missing.