The Reasons Our Team Went Undercover to Expose Criminal Activity in the Kurdish-origin Population

Two Kurdish-background individuals consented to go undercover to uncover a network behind illegal main street establishments because the lawbreakers are causing harm the standing of Kurdish people in the UK, they explain.

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

Investigators found that a Kurdish-linked crime network was running convenience stores, barbershops and vehicle cleaning services throughout the UK, and aimed to learn more about how it worked and who was taking part.

Equipped with covert cameras, Saman and Ali presented themselves as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no permission to be employed, looking to purchase and run a convenience store from which to trade unlawful cigarettes and vapes.

They were able to reveal how straightforward it is for a person in these situations to start and manage a enterprise on the High Street in plain sight. The individuals involved, we found, compensate Kurdish individuals who have UK residency to legally establish the operations in their names, helping to fool the officials.

Saman and Ali also managed to secretly record one of those at the centre of the operation, who asserted that he could erase official penalties of up to £60,000 encountered those using unauthorized employees.

"Personally wanted to participate in uncovering these unlawful operations [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not represent our community," states Saman, a ex- refugee applicant himself. The reporter entered the United Kingdom illegally, having fled Kurdistan - a region that spans the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not officially recognized as a country - because his safety was at threat.

The journalists acknowledge that conflicts over illegal immigration are high in the UK and say they have both been concerned that the probe could worsen conflicts.

But the other reporter says that the unauthorized employment "harms the entire Kurdish-origin population" and he considers compelled to "expose it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Furthermore, Ali mentions he was anxious the coverage could be exploited by the extreme right.

He explains this particularly affected him when he discovered that extreme right campaigner Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom march was taking place in the capital on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating secretly. Placards and banners could be observed at the rally, reading "we demand our country back".

Both journalists have both been tracking social media response to the exposé from within the Kurdish-origin community and say it has generated strong outrage for some. One Facebook message they observed said: "How can we identify and locate [the undercover reporters] to harm them like dogs!"

One more demanded their families in Kurdistan to be attacked.

They have also encountered allegations that they were spies for the UK government, and traitors to other Kurds. "Both of us are not spies, and we have no desire of damaging the Kurdish-origin population," Saman states. "Our goal is to uncover those who have damaged its standing. We are proud of our Kurdish heritage and extremely concerned about the actions of such persons."

Most of those applying for refugee status claim they are fleeing political discrimination, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a charitable organization, a organization that supports refugees and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the case for our undercover journalist Saman, who, when he initially arrived to the UK, struggled for years. He says he had to survive on under £20 a per week while his refugee application was reviewed.

Refugee applicants now get approximately £49 a week - or £9.95 if they are in shelter which offers meals, according to official policies.

"Honestly speaking, this isn't enough to sustain a acceptable lifestyle," explains Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are mostly restricted from employment, he feels many are vulnerable to being manipulated and are practically "forced to labor in the illegal market for as low as £3 per hour".

A representative for the government department said: "The government make no apology for not granting asylum seekers the authorization to work - doing so would establish an reason for individuals to travel to the United Kingdom illegally."

Refugee cases can require years to be resolved with nearly a third requiring more than 12 months, according to official statistics from the late March this current year.

The reporter states working illegally in a car wash, hair salon or convenience store would have been extremely easy to do, but he explained to us he would never have engaged in that.

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

"They used all of their savings to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application refused and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

Ali acknowledges that these people seemed hopeless.

"When [they] say you're not allowed to work - but simultaneously [you]