The Reasons We Went Covert to Reveal Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish men consented to work covertly to reveal a network behind unlawful commercial establishments because the criminals are damaging the standing of Kurdish people in the UK, they say.

The pair, who we are calling Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin journalists who have both resided lawfully in the United Kingdom for years.

The team uncovered that a Kurdish-linked crime network was operating mini-marts, hair salons and car washes throughout Britain, and aimed to discover more about how it operated and who was involved.

Prepared with secret recording devices, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no authorization to work, attempting to purchase and manage a convenience store from which to trade unlawful cigarettes and vapes.

The investigators were successful to uncover how simple it is for an individual in these situations to start and manage a enterprise on the High Street in plain sight. Those participating, we learned, compensate Kurds who have British citizenship to register the operations in their names, enabling to mislead the government agencies.

Saman and Ali also were able to covertly film one of those at the centre of the network, who stated that he could erase government fines of up to sixty thousand pounds encountered those hiring unauthorized employees.

"I wanted to play a role in exposing these illegal operations [...] to loudly proclaim that they don't represent our community," states Saman, a ex- refugee applicant himself. Saman entered the country without authorization, having fled the Kurdish region - a region that spans the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a nation - because his safety was at risk.

The investigators recognize that tensions over illegal migration are high in the United Kingdom and state they have both been anxious that the probe could inflame hostilities.

But Ali says that the illegal labor "harms the whole Kurdish-origin community" and he feels driven to "bring it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Separately, the journalist says he was anxious the reporting could be used by the extreme right.

He explains this notably affected him when he noticed that radical right activist Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom march was happening in London on one of the weekends he was working undercover. Signs and flags could be seen at the protest, displaying "we want our country back".

The reporters have both been tracking online feedback to the inquiry from within the Kurdish-origin community and report it has sparked strong frustration for some. One Facebook message they found read: "How can we identify and find [the undercover reporters] to kill them like animals!"

Another demanded their families in the Kurdish region to be attacked.

They have also read allegations that they were spies for the British government, and traitors to fellow Kurds. "We are not spies, and we have no intention of hurting the Kurdish-origin community," one reporter states. "Our aim is to reveal those who have compromised its standing. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish-origin identity and extremely troubled about the actions of such individuals."

Most of those applying for refugee status say they are escaping politically motivated persecution, according to an expert from the a charitable organization, a non-profit that supports asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the case for our undercover journalist Saman, who, when he initially came to the UK, faced difficulties for years. He states he had to live on less than twenty pounds a per week while his refugee application was considered.

Refugee applicants now receive about £49 a per week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in accommodation which provides meals, according to Home Office guidance.

"Honestly stating, this is not adequate to sustain a acceptable existence," explains the expert from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are generally restricted from working, he feels a significant number are open to being exploited and are essentially "forced to labor in the illegal economy for as little as three pounds per hourly rate".

A representative for the Home Office stated: "We are unapologetic for denying asylum seekers the permission to work - doing so would create an incentive for individuals to migrate to the UK without authorization."

Asylum cases can require years to be processed with almost a third requiring more than 12 months, according to official data from the end of March this current year.

Saman says being employed illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or mini-mart would have been extremely easy to do, but he told the team he would never have participated in that.

Nonetheless, he states that those he interviewed employed in illegal convenience stores during his investigation seemed "lost", particularly those whose asylum claim has been denied and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals expended all of their savings to come to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application denied and now they've lost their entire investment."

Ali acknowledges that these people seemed hopeless.

"If [they] say you're forbidden to work - but simultaneously [you]