Why Our Team Went Undercover to Uncover Crime in the Kurdish Population

Two Kurdish men consented to operate secretly to expose a network behind unlawful main street establishments because the wrongdoers are causing harm the image of Kurdish people in the UK, they explain.

The two, who we are referring to as Saman and Ali, are Kurdish journalists who have both resided lawfully in the UK for years.

Investigators uncovered that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was running convenience stores, barbershops and car washes the length of Britain, and aimed to learn more about how it functioned and who was involved.

Prepared with covert recording devices, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish asylum seekers with no right to be employed, seeking to acquire and operate a small shop from which to trade contraband cigarettes and vapes.

They were able to reveal how simple it is for someone in these circumstances to establish and operate a commercial operation on the commercial area in plain sight. The individuals involved, we discovered, compensate Kurds who have British citizenship to register the enterprises in their names, helping to deceive the authorities.

Ali and Saman also managed to discreetly document one of those at the centre of the operation, who asserted that he could erase government fines of up to £60,000 faced those hiring illegal laborers.

"Personally aimed to contribute in exposing these unlawful activities [...] to declare that they do not characterize Kurdish people," states Saman, a ex- refugee applicant personally. The reporter came to the United Kingdom without authorization, having fled Kurdistan - a territory that spans the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a state - because his safety was at risk.

The investigators recognize that conflicts over illegal immigration are high in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been worried that the investigation could worsen tensions.

But the other reporter explains that the illegal working "negatively affects the whole Kurdish population" and he considers compelled to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Furthermore, Ali explains he was anxious the coverage could be seized upon by the far-right.

He explains this especially affected him when he discovered that far-right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity protest was occurring in the capital on one of the weekends he was operating secretly. Signs and flags could be observed at the rally, reading "we want our country returned".

Both journalists have both been tracking online feedback to the investigation from within the Kurdish population and report it has caused strong anger for certain individuals. One Facebook post they spotted said: "In what way can we locate and track [the undercover reporters] to kill them like dogs!"

One more demanded their relatives in the Kurdish region to be harmed.

They have also encountered accusations that they were agents for the UK government, and traitors to fellow Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no desire of harming the Kurdish-origin population," one reporter explains. "Our objective is to expose those who have compromised its standing. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish heritage and deeply concerned about the actions of such persons."

Most of those seeking asylum state they are escaping politically motivated discrimination, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a charitable organization, a charity that supports asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the situation for our undercover reporter one investigator, who, when he initially came to the United Kingdom, experienced challenges for years. He explains he had to live on under £20 a per week while his refugee application was considered.

Asylum seekers now are provided approximately £49 a per week - or £9.95 if they are in housing which provides food, according to government guidance.

"Honestly speaking, this isn't sufficient to maintain a dignified existence," says the expert from the RWCA.

Because refugee applicants are mostly prohibited from working, he thinks a significant number are susceptible to being exploited and are effectively "forced to work in the illegal market for as low as three pounds per hour".

A representative for the Home Office said: "The government do not apologize for not granting asylum seekers the authorization to work - granting this would generate an incentive for people to travel to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Asylum cases can require years to be resolved with nearly a 33% requiring over a year, according to government data from the spring this year.

The reporter says being employed illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or mini-mart would have been extremely straightforward to accomplish, but he explained to us he would never have engaged in that.

Nevertheless, he states that those he met employed in illegal mini-marts during his investigation seemed "confused", particularly those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals spent all of their money to migrate to the UK, they had their refugee application rejected and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

The other reporter concurs that these individuals seemed desperate.

"When [they] state you're prohibited to work - but also [you]