Authorities suspect that the audacious thieves who carried out a heist at Paris’ Louvre Museum, making off with valuable jewelry, might have been working for a private collector, according to official statements.

Paris Prosecutor Laure Beccuau shared with local media outlets that investigators are exploring the possibility that the robbers, who executed the theft in just seven minutes during daylight hours on Sunday, were either operating under commission for a collector or driven by the intrinsic value of the jewels and precious metals, as reported by Reuters.

“We are considering the theory of organized crime,” Beccuau stated to BFM TV. She emphasized the potential involvement of professional thieves working on behalf of a client.

Beccuau further explained that if a collector commissioned the theft, there is optimism that the stolen artifacts will be preserved and intact until they can be recovered. On the other hand, if the robbers acted independently, they might have been looking to exploit the jewels for laundering illicit profits.

Following reports of the robbery, police officers were seen stationed near the Louvre Museum’s iconic pyramid in Paris, France, on October 19, 2025. (Reuters/Gonzalo Fuentes)

“Nowadays, anything can be linked to drug trafficking, given the significant sums of money obtained from drug trafficking,” Beccuau said, according to Reuters.

Investigators are keeping all leads open, but foreign interference has reportedly been largely ruled out in the case.

Former jewel thief Larry Lawton, who now assists police on such investigations, told Fox News that the operation “had to be an inside job” or the thieves must have “had inside information.”

“How did they know how thick the glass was, whether there was an alarm on there?” Lawton asked. 

Lawton added that if he were the thieves, he would not immediately sell the items to avoid detection.

“I might put them and stash them somewhere no one knows, wait a year or two,” Lawton said, adding that companies would eventually give out a reward “with no questions asked.” 

“They’ll put up a million dollars for this … obviously they want their jewels back,” he said.

The Louvre, the world’s most-visited museum, announced it would remain closed on Monday following Sunday’s daring theft.

Masked thieves disguised as construction workers struck in front of visitors and staff Sunday morning, a period described as one of the museum’s most chaotic, authorities said. Officials said thieves extended a basket lift to a window and smashed it open with an angle grinder. They reportedly used a disc cutter to slice through glass panes protecting the jewels. 

Thieves executed a daytime heist at the Louvre Museum, stealing French crown jewels. (Thibault Camus : AP)

A total of nine objects were targeted, eight of which were stolen, officials said. The thieves failed to take the ninth item, the crown of Napoleon III’s wife, Empress Eugenie, during their escape. 

The crown alone is worth tens of millions of euros, though experts say it is not the most significant piece.

Authorities have not yet identified the robbers, who made their escape on motorbikes.