Why We Chose to Go Undercover to Reveal Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish men decided to go undercover to reveal a organization behind illegal main street establishments because the lawbreakers are causing harm the reputation of Kurds in the UK, they state.

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

Investigators discovered that a Kurdish criminal operation was operating convenience stores, hair salons and vehicle cleaning services the length of Britain, and aimed to find out more about how it functioned and who was involved.

Prepared with covert cameras, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish asylum seekers with no right to be employed, looking to buy and run a small shop from which to sell contraband cigarettes and vapes.

They were able to reveal how straightforward it is for someone in these situations to start and run a business on the commercial area in full view. The individuals involved, we discovered, compensate Kurds who have UK citizenship to register the businesses in their names, enabling to mislead the authorities.

Saman and Ali also were able to covertly record one of those at the heart of the network, who claimed that he could eliminate official fines of up to £60k faced those employing illegal laborers.

"I sought to play a role in uncovering these unlawful practices [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not speak for us," states one reporter, a former refugee applicant himself. Saman came to the UK without authorization, having fled Kurdistan - a territory that straddles the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a country - because his well-being was at threat.

The investigators recognize that tensions over unauthorized migration are significant in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been worried that the investigation could intensify conflicts.

But the other reporter states that the unauthorized labor "harms the entire Kurdish community" and he believes obligated to "expose it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Separately, the journalist mentions he was anxious the publication could be exploited by the far-right.

He states this especially struck him when he realized that radical right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity rally was occurring in the capital on one of the weekends he was working covertly. Signs and banners could be spotted at the gathering, showing "we want our country returned".

Both journalists have both been tracking online response to the exposé from inside the Kurdish population and say it has generated strong anger for certain individuals. One Facebook post they observed stated: "How can we locate and find [the undercover reporters] to kill them like animals!"

A different demanded their relatives in the Kurdish region to be attacked.

They have also seen allegations that they were spies for the UK authorities, and betrayers to other Kurdish people. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no intention of harming the Kurdish community," Saman says. "Our aim is to expose those who have compromised its standing. We are honored of our Kurdish-origin identity and profoundly troubled about the actions 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 charity that assists asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the scenario for our covert reporter one investigator, who, when he initially came to the UK, struggled for years. He says he had to survive on less than £20 a week while his asylum claim was processed.

Asylum seekers now are provided about £49 a per week - or £9.95 if they are in shelter which provides food, according to official policies.

"Realistically stating, this isn't adequate to support a acceptable existence," explains Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are generally prohibited from employment, he believes numerous are open to being taken advantage of and are effectively "obligated to labor in the black economy for as little as £3 per hour".

A representative for the government department commented: "The government do not apologize for refusing to grant refugee applicants the authorization to work - granting this would generate an reason for individuals to migrate to the UK without authorization."

Refugee cases can take years to be resolved with almost a one-third taking over 12 months, according to government figures from the end of March this current year.

Saman says working illegally in a car wash, hair salon or mini-mart would have been very easy to accomplish, but he told the team he would never have participated in that.

Nonetheless, he explains that those he encountered laboring in illegal mini-marts during his work seemed "lost", especially those whose asylum claim has been denied and who were in the appeal stage.

"These individuals spent all their savings to travel to the UK, they had their asylum refused and now they've lost all they had."

Ali agrees that these individuals seemed desperate.

"When [they] say you're not allowed to work - but additionally [you]