Why Our Team Went Undercover to Uncover Criminal Activity in the Kurdish-origin Population

A pair of Kurdish men consented to work covertly to reveal a network behind unlawful High Street businesses because the wrongdoers are damaging the image of Kurds in the UK, they say.

The pair, who we are referring to as Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin journalists who have both resided legally in the United Kingdom for years.

Investigators found that a Kurdish-linked illegal enterprise was managing small shops, hair salons and vehicle cleaning services across the United Kingdom, and wanted to discover more about how it worked and who was participating.

Prepared with hidden recording devices, Ali and Saman posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no permission to work, attempting to acquire and manage a convenience store from which to sell unlawful tobacco products and vapes.

The investigators were able to discover how straightforward it is for a person in these conditions to establish and operate a commercial operation on the commercial area in plain sight. The individuals participating, we learned, compensate Kurdish individuals who have UK residency to register the operations in their names, helping to deceive the officials.

Saman and Ali also managed to covertly document one of those at the centre of the network, who claimed that he could erase government fines of up to £60,000 encountered those employing illegal laborers.

"Personally aimed to contribute in exposing these unlawful practices [...] to say that they don't represent Kurdish people," explains one reporter, a ex- asylum seeker personally. Saman entered the country without authorization, having escaped from Kurdistan - a area that covers the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a state - because his life was at risk.

The reporters acknowledge that tensions over illegal migration are significant in the UK and say they have both been worried that the probe could inflame conflicts.

But Ali states that the unauthorized labor "damages the entire Kurdish community" and he believes obligated to "expose it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Separately, the journalist mentions he was worried the publication could be used by the radical right.

He explains this particularly affected him when he discovered that radical right campaigner Tommy Robinson's national unity march was happening in London on one of the weekends he was operating undercover. Banners and flags could be spotted at the rally, reading "we want our nation returned".

Both journalists have both been observing social media feedback to the inquiry from within the Kurdish community and report it has sparked significant anger for some. One Facebook post they spotted stated: "How can we find and locate [the undercover reporters] to kill them like animals!"

Another urged their families in Kurdistan to be attacked.

They have also encountered allegations that they were informants for the British authorities, and betrayers to other Kurds. "We are not spies, and we have no aim of hurting the Kurdish community," one reporter states. "Our objective is to expose those who have compromised its image. We are proud of our Kurdish-origin heritage and extremely worried about the behavior of such individuals."

The majority of those applying for asylum say they are fleeing politically motivated oppression, according to an expert from the a charitable organization, a organization that helps asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the scenario for our covert reporter Saman, who, when he initially arrived to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for years. He states he had to live on under £20 a week while his asylum claim was processed.

Refugee applicants now are provided about £49 a per week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in housing which provides food, according to Home Office policies.

"Practically saying, this is not adequate to sustain a dignified life," explains Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are largely prohibited from employment, he feels numerous are vulnerable to being taken advantage of and are essentially "forced to work in the unofficial economy for as low as £3 per hour".

A representative for the authorities said: "We are unapologetic for not granting refugee applicants the right to work - granting this would create an incentive for people to come to the UK without authorization."

Refugee cases can require a long time to be processed with nearly a 33% requiring over 12 months, according to government statistics from the late March this year.

Saman says being employed illegally in a car wash, barbershop or mini-mart would have been extremely simple to do, but he explained to the team he would never have done that.

Nevertheless, he explains that those he interviewed laboring in unauthorized mini-marts during his research seemed "lost", notably those whose refugee application has been refused and who were in the appeal stage.

"These individuals spent all their funds to travel to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application rejected and now they've forfeited all they had."

The other reporter agrees that these people seemed in dire straits.

"If [they] declare you're not allowed to work - but simultaneously [you]