Why Our Team Went Covert to Reveal Crime in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish individuals consented to operate secretly to uncover a operation behind illegal High Street enterprises because the criminals are damaging the standing of Kurds in the United Kingdom, they state.

The pair, who we are calling Saman and Ali, are Kurdish journalists who have both resided legally in the UK for a long time.

Investigators discovered that a Kurdish-linked criminal operation was managing small shops, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services throughout Britain, and sought to find out more about how it worked and who was taking part.

Prepared with covert recording devices, Saman and Ali presented themselves as Kurdish-origin refugee applicants with no authorization to work, seeking to purchase and run a mini-mart from which to distribute unlawful tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

They were able to reveal how simple it is for an individual in these situations to set up and operate a business on the High Street in full view. Those involved, we found, compensate Kurdish individuals who have British citizenship to legally establish the businesses in their identities, helping to fool the officials.

Ali and Saman also were able to covertly document one of those at the core of the network, who asserted that he could eliminate official sanctions of up to sixty thousand pounds encountered those using unauthorized employees.

"Personally aimed to contribute in exposing these unlawful practices [...] to say that they do not represent our community," states Saman, a ex- refugee applicant personally. The reporter entered the UK illegally, having escaped from Kurdistan - a area that spans the borders of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a country - because his life was at risk.

The reporters acknowledge that conflicts over illegal immigration are high in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been anxious that the probe could worsen hostilities.

But Ali says that the illegal employment "damages the entire Kurdish community" and he believes obligated to "bring it [the criminal network] out into public view".

Additionally, Ali says he was worried the reporting could be exploited by the extreme right.

He states this notably struck him when he noticed that radical right campaigner a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom protest was taking place in London on one of the weekends he was working secretly. Signs and banners could be observed at the rally, reading "we want our nation returned".

The reporters have both been tracking online feedback to the exposé from inside the Kurdish population and say it has caused intense outrage for some. One social media message they observed said: "In what way can we find and track [the undercover reporters] to harm them like dogs!"

Another called for their relatives in the Kurdish region to be slaughtered.

They have also seen accusations that they were informants for the British government, and traitors to fellow Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no aim of hurting the Kurdish-origin population," Saman explains. "Our aim is to expose those who have compromised its image. We are proud of our Kurdish heritage and extremely troubled about the actions of such individuals."

Most of those applying for refugee status state they are escaping political discrimination, according to an expert from the a refugee support organization, a organization that supports asylum seekers and asylum seekers in the United Kingdom.

This was the case for our undercover reporter Saman, who, when he initially arrived to the UK, faced difficulties for many years. He explains he had to survive on less than £20 a week while his asylum claim was considered.

Refugee applicants now get approximately £49 a week - or £9.95 if they are in accommodation which includes food, according to official policies.

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

Because asylum seekers are generally prevented from employment, he believes a significant number are vulnerable to being taken advantage of and are practically "compelled to labor in the black sector for as low as £3 per hour".

A representative for the authorities said: "We make no apology for not granting asylum seekers the permission to work - doing so would establish an reason for individuals to come to the UK without authorization."

Refugee cases can take a long time to be processed with nearly a one-third requiring more than a year, according to government figures from the late March this current year.

The reporter says working without authorization in a car wash, barbershop or mini-mart would have been very simple to do, but he informed us he would not have participated in that.

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

"These individuals used their entire money to travel to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application denied and now they've sacrificed all they had."

Ali acknowledges that these people seemed desperate.

"If [they] declare you're not allowed to work - but simultaneously [you]