The investigation established that the guides repeatedly used the same tickets and split groups into smaller ones to avoid additional costs for excursions, which ranged from 20 to 90 euros depending on the number of participants.
As a result of more than a year of investigation, law enforcement uncovered an organized criminal scheme that had been operating for nearly ten years. Participants could conduct up to twenty groups of tourists a day, and museum staff are believed to have turned a blind eye to the violations for a certain reward.
According to the prosecutor's office, the funds obtained from the fraud were invested in real estate both in France and in Dubai. During searches, the police seized nearly 1 million euros in cash and about 500,000 euros in bank accounts.
The prosecutor's office also mentioned that a similar scheme could have been operating in Versailles, but details have not been disclosed.
Since the beginning of 2026, the ticket price for the Louvre is 22 euros for citizens and residents of the European Union and 32 euros for other visitors. A group ticket costs 28 euros.
The Louvre, which is the most visited museum in the world, has faced several incidents in recent months. In October 2025, jewelry worth approximately 88 million euros was stolen from the museum. Although several suspects were detained, the whereabouts of the stolen valuables have still not been established, leading to a temporary suspension of the museum's operations.
