During the operation, nine people were detained, including two Louvre employees and tour guides. Authorities seized 957,000 euros in cash, three cars, and several bank safes from the suspects. An additional 486,000 euros was found in their accounts. The suspects are believed to have invested part of the funds in real estate both in France and Dubai.
According to the prosecution's version, the criminal group operated for about ten years and could organize up to 20 groups of tourists daily. The guides used fake tickets and reused real ones, paying museum staff to let tourists through without checks.
The fraud was discovered during an audit of the Louvre's reporting when museum employees noticed the "frequent presence of a group of Chinese guides who brought visitors bypassing the ticket office." Subsequently, the museum began to suspect other tour guides of similar schemes, which was confirmed through wiretapping of phone conversations.
