The black market operation was based in Tallinn's Mustamäe district, involving the sale of both gas and diesel to hundreds of customers a day for a period of at least nine months, starting no later than December 2021 and running to September 2022.

During that time, sales represented an estimated over €320,000 in lost revenues to the state, the Tax and Customs Board (MTA) has estimated, a sum which the state is now demanding from the defendants.

In her opening statement at the trial, prosecutor Heleri Randma described the outfit as "highly organized."

The operations coincided with high fuel prices at filling stations at the time – over €2 per liter for both gas and diesel, which the gang were able to undercut by charging about €1.60–€1.75 per liter.

The station operated behind closed doors in a lockup garage on Leiva street, with a cash-payment-only, one-in, one-out customer policy, accommodating up to 300 or more buyers in a day, Delfi reported.

One of the defendants, Antons Kriškans, oversaw the operation, setting prices and volumes and seeing around 697,000 liters sold over the nine months, or about €862,000-worth of fuel — which the MTA calculated as representing €321,767.38 in lost excise revenues.

Delfi reported evidence being presented to the court refutes the defendants' lawyers' claim that they were unaware that what they were doing was illegal, since this evidence includes intercepted phone calls which demonstrated apparent panic on the defendants' part when authorities such as the police were thought to be closing in.

The case is initially planned to be heard via general procedure in 10 sessions between now and the end of September, Delfi reported.

A separate indictment for a separate case is due to be formed in respect of those who supplied the garage with the illicit fuel.

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