Why Our Team Chose to Go Undercover to Expose Criminal Activity in the Kurdish-origin Community

A pair of Kurdish men consented to go undercover to uncover a operation behind illegal commercial enterprises because the lawbreakers are negatively affecting the image of Kurds in the United Kingdom, they explain.

The pair, who we are calling Ali and Saman, are Kurdish-origin investigators who have both lived lawfully in the United Kingdom for years.

Investigators uncovered that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was operating convenience stores, barbershops and car washes across the UK, and aimed to find out more about how it operated and who was involved.

Equipped with covert recording devices, Ali and Saman presented themselves as Kurdish asylum seekers with no authorization to be employed, attempting to acquire and operate a small shop from which to sell illegal cigarettes and vapes.

The investigators were able to uncover how simple it is for someone in these conditions to set up and manage a business on the High Street in plain sight. Those involved, we found, pay Kurdish individuals who have British citizenship to register the operations in their names, assisting to mislead the authorities.

Saman and Ali also managed to covertly record one of those at the core of the network, who stated that he could erase official fines of up to £60k faced those hiring unauthorized employees.

"Personally aimed to participate in revealing these illegal practices [...] to say that they do not characterize our community," explains Saman, a former refugee applicant himself. Saman entered the United Kingdom without authorization, having fled the Kurdish region - a region that spans the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not internationally recognised as a state - because his life was at risk.

The reporters admit that conflicts over unauthorized migration are significant in the UK and explain they have both been concerned that the inquiry could inflame conflicts.

But the other reporter states that the illegal employment "negatively affects the entire Kurdish population" and he believes compelled to "expose it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Separately, the journalist says he was anxious the publication could be seized upon by the radical right.

He explains this notably struck him when he discovered that extreme right activist Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom protest was occurring in the capital on one of the weekends he was working secretly. Signs and flags could be seen at the gathering, showing "we demand our country returned".

Both journalists have both been tracking online feedback to the inquiry from within the Kurdish community and explain it has caused significant frustration for some. One social media comment they observed said: "How can we locate and track [the undercover reporters] to kill them like animals!"

One more demanded their relatives in the Kurdish region to be attacked.

They have also encountered claims that they were informants for the UK government, and betrayers to fellow Kurds. "We are not spies, and we have no aim of harming the Kurdish community," Saman explains. "Our objective is to expose those who have harmed its standing. We are honored of our Kurdish identity and profoundly concerned about the actions of such individuals."

Most of those applying for asylum state they are fleeing political persecution, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a non-profit that helps refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the situation for our undercover journalist Saman, who, when he initially arrived to the United Kingdom, experienced challenges for years. He states he had to survive on less than £20 a week while his refugee application was reviewed.

Refugee applicants now get about £49 a per week - or £9.95 if they are in accommodation which offers food, according to Home Office regulations.

"Honestly stating, this isn't sufficient to maintain a acceptable existence," says Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because refugee applicants are generally prohibited from employment, he feels numerous are vulnerable to being exploited and are essentially "compelled to work in the illegal sector for as little as £3 per hour".

A spokesperson for the authorities said: "The government do not apologize for refusing to grant asylum seekers the permission to work - doing so would create an motivation for individuals to migrate to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Refugee applications can take multiple years to be resolved with nearly a 33% taking over one year, according to official figures from the end of March this year.

The reporter explains working illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or convenience store would have been very easy to accomplish, but he informed the team he would never have participated in that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he met employed in unauthorized convenience stores during his work seemed "disoriented", notably those whose asylum claim has been refused and who were in the appeal stage.

"These individuals used their entire savings to travel to the United Kingdom, they had their asylum rejected and now they've lost their entire investment."

The other reporter concurs that these individuals seemed desperate.

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