The Reasons Our Team Went Undercover to Reveal Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Population

Two Kurdish-background individuals decided to operate secretly to expose a network behind unlawful main street businesses because the criminals are causing harm the image of Kurdish people in the UK, they say.

The pair, who we are calling Saman and Ali, are Kurdish investigators who have both resided lawfully in the UK for years.

Investigators found that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was running small shops, hair salons and vehicle cleaning services across the United Kingdom, and sought to find out more about how it operated and who was taking part.

Prepared with covert cameras, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish asylum seekers with no right to be employed, attempting to purchase and operate a convenience store from which to distribute contraband tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were successful to discover how easy it is for someone in these conditions to start and manage a enterprise on the main street in public view. Those participating, we found, pay Kurdish individuals who have British citizenship to legally establish the businesses in their identities, helping to fool the officials.

Saman and Ali also managed to secretly document one of those at the heart of the network, who stated that he could eliminate official fines of up to £60k imposed on those hiring illegal laborers.

"I wanted to participate in uncovering these unlawful operations [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not speak for Kurdish people," explains one reporter, a ex- asylum seeker personally. The reporter came to the UK illegally, having fled Kurdistan - a territory that covers the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a country - because his life was at threat.

The investigators acknowledge that disagreements over unauthorized immigration are significant in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been anxious that the investigation could intensify tensions.

But the other reporter explains that the illegal employment "harms the entire Kurdish community" and he feels compelled to "expose it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Additionally, the journalist says he was concerned the publication could be used by the extreme right.

He says this notably struck him when he noticed that radical right campaigner Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom protest was taking place in the capital on one of the weekends he was working covertly. Signs and flags could be observed at the rally, displaying "we want our nation back".

Both journalists have both been observing online reaction to the exposé from within the Kurdish-origin community and explain it has generated intense frustration for some. One Facebook post they spotted read: "In what way can we find and track [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

A different demanded their families in Kurdistan to be slaughtered.

They have also read claims that they were spies for the UK government, and traitors to fellow Kurds. "We are not spies, and we have no intention of damaging the Kurdish-origin community," Saman explains. "Our goal is to expose those who have damaged its image. We are honored of our Kurdish-origin identity and deeply concerned about the actions of such individuals."

Most of those seeking refugee status claim they are fleeing politically motivated oppression, according to an expert from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a non-profit that supports refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the situation for our undercover journalist one investigator, who, when he initially came to the UK, faced difficulties for many years. He explains he had to live on less than £20 a week while his refugee application was considered.

Asylum seekers now are provided approximately forty-nine pounds a week - or £9.95 if they are in housing which provides food, according to government guidance.

"Honestly saying, this is not adequate to sustain a dignified life," explains the expert from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are mostly prevented from employment, he feels a significant number are vulnerable to being taken advantage of and are essentially "forced to labor in the black market for as low as £3 per hourly rate".

A representative for the government department said: "The government are unapologetic for refusing to grant asylum seekers the right to work - doing so would establish an motivation for people to come to the UK illegally."

Refugee cases can require multiple years to be resolved with almost a one-third requiring over one year, according to official figures from the end of March this year.

The reporter explains working illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or mini-mart would have been very simple to achieve, but he explained to the team he would not have done that.

However, he explains that those he interviewed employed in unauthorized convenience stores during his research seemed "disoriented", especially those whose asylum claim has been denied and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals used all their savings to travel to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum refused and now they've sacrificed everything."

The other reporter agrees that these individuals seemed hopeless.

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