Why Our Team Went Covert to Expose Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Community

Two Kurdish-background men decided to work covertly to uncover a operation behind unlawful High Street enterprises because the criminals are negatively affecting the image of Kurds in the United Kingdom, they say.

The pair, who we are calling Saman and Ali, are Kurdish journalists who have both lived legally in the UK for a long time.

Investigators found that a Kurdish crime network was operating convenience stores, hair salons and vehicle cleaning services throughout the UK, and wanted to discover more about how it operated and who was participating.

Equipped with covert recording devices, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish asylum seekers with no authorization to be employed, attempting to purchase and operate a mini-mart from which to sell unlawful cigarettes and vapes.

The investigators were successful to discover how straightforward it is for an individual in these conditions to set up and manage a enterprise on the main street in plain sight. The individuals involved, we found, compensate Kurdish individuals who have UK citizenship to legally establish the enterprises in their names, helping to deceive the authorities.

Ali and Saman also succeeded to discreetly record one of those at the centre of the operation, who claimed that he could eliminate official sanctions of up to £60,000 encountered those employing unauthorized employees.

"Personally sought to participate in exposing these illegal activities [...] to say that they do not represent us," explains Saman, a former asylum seeker personally. Saman entered the United Kingdom illegally, having fled Kurdistan - a region that straddles the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not officially recognized as a nation - because his well-being was at danger.

The reporters admit that conflicts over illegal immigration are significant in the United Kingdom and state they have both been anxious that the inquiry could worsen hostilities.

But Ali explains that the illegal working "negatively affects the whole Kurdish community" and he believes compelled to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Furthermore, Ali says he was concerned the reporting could be exploited by the extreme right.

He says this notably struck him when he noticed that far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson's national unity protest was happening in the capital on one of the weekends he was working undercover. Signs and banners could be spotted at the rally, showing "we demand our country back".

Both journalists have both been tracking online reaction to the exposé from inside the Kurdish-origin community and report it has sparked strong frustration for certain individuals. One Facebook message they observed stated: "How can we identify and find [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

Another urged their relatives in the Kurdish region to be attacked.

They have also encountered allegations that they were spies for the British government, and betrayers to fellow Kurds. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no aim of hurting the Kurdish community," Saman states. "Our goal is to expose those who have harmed its standing. We are proud of our Kurdish-origin heritage and deeply troubled about the behavior of such persons."

The majority of those applying for asylum state they are escaping politically motivated persecution, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a non-profit that supports asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the case for our covert reporter Saman, who, when he initially arrived to the UK, experienced challenges for many years. He explains he had to live on less than £20 a week while his refugee application was processed.

Asylum seekers now receive approximately £49 a per week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in shelter which provides meals, according to official guidance.

"Realistically stating, this isn't adequate to support a acceptable life," explains the expert from the RWCA.

Because refugee applicants are generally restricted from employment, he believes many are open to being exploited and are practically "forced to work in the unofficial sector for as low as £3 per hour".

A representative for the authorities stated: "We make no apology for refusing to grant asylum seekers the permission to work - granting this would create an reason for people to come to the United Kingdom illegally."

Asylum applications can require years to be resolved with nearly a 33% taking over 12 months, according to official data from the late March this year.

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

However, he states that those he interviewed laboring in unauthorized mini-marts during his work seemed "confused", especially those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the appeals process.

"These individuals expended their entire funds to travel to the UK, they had their refugee application rejected and now they've forfeited everything."

Ali agrees that these people seemed desperate.

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