The Reasons Our Team Went Covert to Expose Crime in the Kurdish Community

Two Kurdish individuals agreed to go undercover to reveal a operation behind illegal commercial businesses because the criminals are negatively affecting the reputation of Kurdish people in the UK, they say.

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

Investigators discovered that a Kurdish-linked crime network was managing mini-marts, barbershops and car washes throughout Britain, and aimed to learn more about how it worked and who was involved.

Armed with covert recording devices, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no permission to be employed, looking to buy and operate a mini-mart from which to sell illegal cigarettes and vapes.

They were able to reveal how simple it is for an individual in these conditions to start and operate a business on the main street in plain sight. Those participating, we learned, compensate Kurds who have British citizenship to legally establish the enterprises in their names, helping to deceive the officials.

Saman and Ali also were able to secretly document one of those at the centre of the network, who stated that he could remove official fines of up to £60,000 imposed on those using illegal employees.

"Personally aimed to contribute in uncovering these illegal activities [...] to declare that they don't speak for our community," explains Saman, a former asylum seeker himself. Saman entered the United Kingdom illegally, having escaped from Kurdistan - a territory that spans the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a nation - because his well-being was at threat.

The journalists admit that conflicts over unauthorized migration are high in the UK and state they have both been concerned that the probe could intensify conflicts.

But the other reporter states that the unauthorized working "harms the entire Kurdish population" and he considers driven to "bring it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Additionally, Ali mentions he was concerned the coverage could be used by the far-right.

He says this especially impressed him when he realized that radical right activist a prominent activist's national unity march was taking place in London on one of the weekends he was operating covertly. Banners and banners could be spotted at the rally, reading "we demand our country back".

Saman and Ali have both been observing social media feedback to the investigation from within the Kurdish population and explain it has generated intense anger for some. One social media post they found stated: "In what way can we find and locate [the undercover reporters] to kill them like animals!"

A different demanded their relatives in Kurdistan to be slaughtered.

They have also seen claims that they were informants for the British government, and betrayers to fellow Kurdish people. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no aim of harming the Kurdish population," one reporter states. "Our aim is to uncover those who have compromised its standing. We are honored of our Kurdish heritage and extremely troubled about the actions of such individuals."

Most of those seeking refugee status state they are fleeing politically motivated oppression, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a charitable organization, a charity that supports refugees and refugee applicants in the UK.

This was the case for our undercover journalist Saman, who, when he initially came to the United Kingdom, struggled for years. He states he had to live on under £20 a per week while his asylum claim was processed.

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

"Realistically stating, this isn't enough to maintain a respectable lifestyle," explains Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are largely restricted from employment, he feels a significant number are vulnerable to being taken advantage of and are practically "obligated to work in the illegal market for as little as £3 per hour".

A spokesperson for the government department commented: "The government are unapologetic for denying asylum seekers the right to be employed - granting this would establish an incentive for people to travel to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Asylum applications can take multiple years to be decided with nearly a third taking more than a year, according to official data from the spring this current year.

The reporter says being employed without authorization in a car wash, barbershop or convenience store would have been extremely easy to accomplish, but he told the team he would not have done that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he met employed in illegal mini-marts during his investigation seemed "lost", particularly those whose refugee application has been rejected and who were in the appeals process.

"These individuals used all their money to travel to the UK, they had their asylum rejected and now they've forfeited their entire investment."

The other reporter concurs that these people seemed hopeless.

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