Nine people were under arrest in Paris last night following French police smashing an £8.7million false ticket racket at the Louvre.

Officers made a series of arrests this week in connection with the decade-long scam at the world’s most visited art museum.

Employees were among those said to have been providing fake entry tickets to thousands of mainly Chinese tourists.

A spokesman for Paris prosecutors said: ‘Arrests took place on Tuesday as part of a judicial investigation opened after the Louvre filed a complaint in December 2024.’

The loss for the museum over the past decade was estimated to be ‘well over 10 million euros’ – the equivalent of around £8.7million.

Those in custody included two members of the Louvre’s clerical staff, tour guides and an alleged ‘mastermind’ of the scam.

Large groups of tourists were said to have been given the same tickets multiple times.

Judicial police used ‘surveillance operations, including wiretaps’ to gather evidence.

Nine people were under arrest in Paris last night following French police smashing an £8.7million false ticket racket at the Louvre

The suspects – who have not been named – now face trial for ‘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 was introducing up to 20 tour groups a day into the Louvre.

The ring leaders were meanwhile using cash to by property in France and Dubai.

A raid at one property linked to them led to a million pounds worth of notes being found, said another investigating source.

Police think the scammers, who included migrants from China who should not have been in France, were also involved in a similar racket at the Palace of Versailles, west of Paris, and enquiries are still ongoing.

It all follows last October’s high-profile heist at the Louvre, when raiders got away with £76million worth of jewellery.

The latest crackdown follows last October’s high-profile heist at the Louvre, when raiders got away with £76million worth of jewellery

Four men are currently in custody and awaiting trial for the raid, but the masterminds are still believed to be at large, together with most of the swag.

It included a brooch containing 2348 diamonds, and a tiara with 1083 – all of once worn by relatives of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Five security guards ran away, while police responding to an alarm arrived far too late to see the gang disappearing on the two scooters, but they were all eventually caught after leaving DNA traces.

The Louvre welcomed nearly 9 million visitors in 2024, 80% of whom were foreigners, including hundreds of thousands of people from the UK.