Why We Went Undercover to Uncover Criminal Activity in the Kurdish-origin Community

Two Kurdish-background individuals agreed to go undercover to expose a network behind unlawful main street establishments because the criminals are negatively affecting the image of Kurdish people in the UK, they state.

The pair, who we are referring to as Ali and Saman, are Kurdish reporters who have both lived lawfully in the UK for a long time.

Investigators found that a Kurdish criminal operation was running convenience stores, barbershops and car washes throughout the United Kingdom, and aimed to find out more about how it operated and who was involved.

Armed with secret recording devices, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no permission to work, attempting to acquire and operate a convenience store from which to trade unlawful tobacco products and vapes.

They were successful to reveal how easy it is for an individual in these situations to establish and run a business on the High Street in plain sight. The individuals involved, we found, pay Kurds who have UK residency to legally establish the operations in their identities, assisting to mislead the officials.

Saman and Ali also were able to covertly film one of those at the heart of the network, who stated that he could erase official sanctions of up to £60,000 imposed on those employing illegal workers.

"Personally wanted to contribute in exposing these illegal operations [...] to declare that they don't represent Kurdish people," says one reporter, a ex- asylum seeker himself. Saman entered the country without authorization, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a region that spans the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not officially recognized as a state - because his life was at danger.

The investigators acknowledge that tensions over unauthorized immigration are high in the UK and explain they have both been worried that the investigation could intensify tensions.

But Ali states that the unauthorized working "damages the entire Kurdish community" and he feels driven to "expose it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Furthermore, Ali says he was concerned the publication could be seized upon by the extreme right.

He states this particularly struck him when he realized that radical right campaigner a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom march was taking place in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating secretly. Signs and flags could be seen at the protest, reading "we demand our nation returned".

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

A different called for their families in the Kurdish region to be harmed.

They have also encountered claims that they were informants for the UK government, and betrayers to fellow Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no desire of hurting the Kurdish population," one reporter states. "Our objective is to uncover those who have compromised its image. We are proud of our Kurdish identity and profoundly worried about the activities of such individuals."

The majority of those applying for refugee status state they are fleeing politically motivated discrimination, according to an expert from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a organization that supports asylum seekers and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the situation for our undercover reporter Saman, who, when he first arrived to the UK, struggled for years. He says he had to live on under £20 a week while his asylum claim was reviewed.

Refugee applicants now receive approximately £49 a per week - or £9.95 if they are in housing which includes meals, according to government policies.

"Realistically speaking, this isn't enough to sustain a acceptable existence," states Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are largely prohibited from working, he believes a significant number are vulnerable to being manipulated and are effectively "compelled to work in the unofficial market for as little as three pounds per hourly rate".

A official for the government department stated: "The government do not apologize for refusing to grant asylum seekers the permission to be employed - granting this would create an incentive for people to come to the UK illegally."

Refugee cases can require a long time to be decided with nearly a third requiring over one year, according to government data from the late March this current year.

Saman states working without authorization in a car wash, barbershop or mini-mart would have been quite straightforward to do, but he told us he would never have engaged in that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he met working in illegal convenience stores during his work seemed "confused", especially those whose asylum claim has been refused and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals used all of their funds to come to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum rejected and now they've sacrificed all they had."

The other reporter agrees that these people seemed desperate.

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