The Reasons Our Team Went Covert to Reveal Criminal Activity in the Kurdish-origin Population

A pair of Kurdish-background men consented to operate secretly to uncover a network behind unlawful commercial businesses because the lawbreakers are negatively affecting the standing of Kurdish people in the United Kingdom, they state.

The two, who we are referring to as Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin investigators who have both lived lawfully in the United Kingdom for many years.

The team uncovered that a Kurdish illegal enterprise was running small shops, barbershops and car washes across the United Kingdom, and wanted to learn more about how it operated and who was involved.

Prepared with secret recording devices, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no permission to be employed, seeking to acquire and manage a convenience store from which to distribute illegal tobacco products and vapes.

They were successful to reveal how simple it is for a person in these circumstances to establish and run a enterprise on the High Street in full view. Those participating, we found, pay Kurds who have British citizenship to register the enterprises in their identities, enabling to deceive the authorities.

Ali and Saman also were able to covertly document one of those at the heart of the organization, who stated that he could remove government fines of up to £60k imposed on those employing illegal employees.

"I aimed to contribute in exposing these unlawful activities [...] to declare that they don't characterize our community," explains one reporter, a former refugee applicant personally. The reporter came to the UK illegally, having fled Kurdistan - a area that straddles the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not globally acknowledged as a country - because his well-being was at threat.

The journalists acknowledge that tensions over unauthorized migration are elevated in the United Kingdom and say they have both been worried that the probe could inflame hostilities.

But the other reporter says that the illegal labor "negatively affects the entire Kurdish community" and he considers obligated to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Furthermore, the journalist mentions he was concerned the publication could be used by the extreme right.

He states this particularly affected him when he discovered that far-right activist a prominent activist's national unity rally was occurring in the capital on one of the weekends he was operating undercover. Placards and banners could be seen at the protest, showing "we want our country back".

The reporters have both been observing social media reaction to the investigation from inside the Kurdish-origin community and explain it has sparked intense outrage for certain individuals. One Facebook post they observed stated: "How can we identify and locate [the undercover reporters] to harm them like dogs!"

One more called for their relatives in Kurdistan to be harmed.

They have also read accusations that they were informants for the UK government, and betrayers to other Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no intention of hurting the Kurdish population," Saman states. "Our goal is to uncover those who have harmed its reputation. We are proud of our Kurdish identity and profoundly troubled about the behavior of such people."

Most of those seeking asylum state they are fleeing politically motivated oppression, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a refugee support organization, a charity that assists refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the scenario for our undercover reporter Saman, who, when he initially came to the UK, struggled for years. He says he had to live on under £20 a week while his refugee application was reviewed.

Refugee applicants now receive about forty-nine pounds a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in shelter which offers food, according to Home Office guidance.

"Realistically saying, this is not enough to support a respectable life," explains Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because refugee applicants are largely restricted from employment, he believes a significant number are vulnerable to being manipulated and are practically "compelled to labor in the illegal sector for as low as £3 per hourly rate".

A official for the government department said: "We do not apologize for refusing to grant refugee applicants the authorization to be employed - doing so would establish an incentive for individuals to migrate to the United Kingdom illegally."

Refugee cases can take a long time to be resolved with almost a third taking more than a year, according to government data from the end of March this current year.

Saman explains working without authorization in a car wash, barbershop or convenience store would have been quite simple to achieve, but he explained to the team he would never have done that.

Nevertheless, he states that those he met working in unauthorized mini-marts during his investigation seemed "confused", particularly those whose asylum claim has been refused and who were in the appeals process.

"They expended all their savings to come to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum denied and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

Ali acknowledges that these people seemed in dire straits.

"If [they] state you're not allowed to work - but also [you]