The investigation established that these guides repeatedly used the same tickets and also divided groups into smaller ones to avoid additional costs for guided tours, which range from 20 to 90 euros depending on the number of participants.
As a result of more than a year of investigation, an organized criminal scheme was uncovered, which, according to the investigation, had been operating for nearly ten years, allowing up to 20 tourist groups to be conducted daily. Museum staff, detained during the operation, allegedly ignored violations and did not check tickets for a certain reward.
According to the prosecutor's office, the money obtained from the fraudulent schemes was invested in real estate in France and Dubai. During searches, police discovered nearly 1 million euros in cash and about 500,000 euros in bank accounts.
The prosecutor's office also reported that similar schemes may have been applied in Versailles, although details are not disclosed.
Since 2026, the cost of an individual ticket to 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 a number of difficulties in recent months. In October 2025, jewelry worth about 88 million euros was stolen from the museum. Several suspects were detained; however, the whereabouts of the stolen items remain unknown to this day. Due to this incident, the museum was temporarily closed to visitors.
