The Reasons Our Team Went Covert to Uncover Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Population

Two Kurdish-background men consented to go undercover to reveal a organization behind unlawful main street enterprises because the lawbreakers are causing harm the standing of Kurdish people in the UK, they state.

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

Investigators discovered that a Kurdish crime network was operating mini-marts, hair salons and car washes across Britain, and aimed to learn more about how it worked and who was involved.

Prepared with hidden recording devices, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no permission to be employed, looking to acquire and operate a convenience store from which to trade unlawful cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were successful to discover how straightforward it is for an individual in these conditions to start and run a business on the High Street in public view. Those involved, we discovered, pay Kurds who have UK residency to register the enterprises in their names, assisting to mislead the officials.

Saman and Ali also succeeded to secretly record one of those at the heart of the network, who stated that he could remove official sanctions of up to £60k imposed on those employing unauthorized laborers.

"Personally sought to play a role in revealing these illegal operations [...] to say that they don't characterize Kurdish people," says Saman, a former asylum seeker himself. Saman came to the United Kingdom illegally, having escaped from the Kurdish region - a territory that straddles the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a state - because his safety was at risk.

The journalists acknowledge that conflicts over unauthorized migration are elevated in the UK and say they have both been concerned that the inquiry could inflame tensions.

But Ali explains that the illegal labor "harms the entire Kurdish population" and he believes compelled to "reveal it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Separately, the journalist says he was worried the coverage could be seized upon by the far-right.

He explains this notably impressed him when he discovered that extreme right activist Tommy Robinson's national unity march was occurring in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working undercover. Placards and banners could be observed at the protest, displaying "we want our nation returned".

Both journalists have both been monitoring social media reaction to the investigation from inside the Kurdish population and explain it has caused strong anger for some. One social media message they found stated: "How can we locate and track [the undercover reporters] to harm them like animals!"

One more urged their families in the Kurdish region to be slaughtered.

They have also read claims that they were informants for the UK authorities, and traitors to other Kurdish people. "We are not informants, and we have no desire of damaging the Kurdish-origin population," one reporter states. "Our aim is to expose those who have harmed its image. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish-origin heritage and deeply worried about the behavior of such persons."

The majority of those seeking asylum say they are escaping political discrimination, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a charitable organization, a organization that supports refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the case for our undercover journalist one investigator, who, when he first came to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for years. He states he had to survive on less than twenty pounds a week while his refugee application was processed.

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

"Honestly saying, this is not adequate to maintain a acceptable existence," states Mr Avicil from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are generally prohibited from working, he thinks a significant number are susceptible to being manipulated and are practically "compelled to labor in the black market for as low as £3 per hour".

A representative for the government department said: "The government are unapologetic for not granting asylum seekers the authorization to work - doing so would generate an reason for people to migrate to the United Kingdom illegally."

Refugee cases can take a long time to be processed with nearly a one-third taking over 12 months, according to official figures from the late March this year.

Saman says working illegally in a car wash, barbershop or convenience store would have been extremely straightforward to achieve, but he informed us he would never have engaged in that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he met working in illegal mini-marts during his research seemed "confused", notably those whose asylum claim has been rejected and who were in the appeals process.

"They expended all of their savings to come to the UK, they had their asylum denied and now they've sacrificed their entire investment."

The other reporter acknowledges that these individuals seemed desperate.

"If [they] state you're prohibited to work - but additionally [you]