The Reasons We Chose to Go Covert to Expose Criminal Activity in the Kurdish Community

A pair of Kurdish-background individuals decided to operate secretly to reveal a operation behind unlawful commercial enterprises because the criminals are damaging the image of Kurds in the Britain, they say.

The two, who we are referring to as Ali and Saman, are Kurdish journalists who have both resided lawfully in the United Kingdom for many years.

Investigators uncovered that a Kurdish-linked crime network was operating small shops, barbershops and car washes throughout the UK, and wanted to learn more about how it worked and who was participating.

Prepared with covert recording devices, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish refugee applicants with no right to work, looking to purchase and operate a convenience store from which to distribute contraband cigarettes and vapes.

They were able to discover how simple it is for an individual in these circumstances to establish and run a commercial operation on the main street in public view. The individuals involved, we discovered, pay Kurds who have UK citizenship to register the businesses in their identities, enabling to fool the authorities.

Saman and Ali also succeeded to secretly document one of those at the core of the operation, who claimed that he could erase government fines of up to £60,000 encountered those employing unauthorized workers.

"I aimed to participate in revealing these unlawful operations [...] to say that they don't characterize us," states Saman, a ex- asylum seeker himself. Saman came to the United Kingdom without authorization, having fled the Kurdish region - a region that covers the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a state - because his safety was at danger.

The reporters acknowledge that disagreements over unauthorized migration are elevated in the United Kingdom and say they have both been anxious that the investigation could inflame hostilities.

But the other reporter explains that the unauthorized employment "negatively affects the entire Kurdish community" and he feels obligated to "expose it [the criminal network] out into the open".

Separately, the journalist explains he was worried the reporting could be used by the radical right.

He states this notably impressed him when he noticed that far-right campaigner a prominent activist's national unity rally was happening in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was working undercover. Signs and banners could be seen at the gathering, reading "we demand our country back".

Saman and Ali have both been monitoring social media reaction to the inquiry from within the Kurdish-origin community and explain it has caused intense anger for some. One Facebook post they observed stated: "How can we identify and find [the undercover reporters] to kill them like animals!"

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

They have also seen accusations that they were informants for the UK authorities, and traitors to other Kurds. "We are not informants, and we have no aim of hurting the Kurdish-origin population," one reporter explains. "Our goal is to uncover those who have damaged its image. We are honored of our Kurdish-origin heritage and extremely worried about the actions of such people."

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

This was the situation for our covert reporter one investigator, who, when he initially arrived to the United Kingdom, faced difficulties for many years. He states he had to live on less than £20 a week while his asylum claim was processed.

Refugee applicants now receive approximately forty-nine pounds a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in accommodation which offers meals, according to government guidance.

"Honestly saying, this isn't enough to maintain a dignified existence," states Mr Avicil from the RWCA.

Because asylum seekers are largely prevented from working, he thinks a significant number are open to being exploited and are essentially "compelled to labor in the illegal economy for as low as three pounds per hour".

A official for the authorities commented: "We are unapologetic for refusing to grant refugee applicants the authorization to work - granting this would establish an motivation for individuals to travel to the UK without authorization."

Asylum cases can take a long time to be processed with approximately a 33% requiring more than 12 months, according to official figures from the spring this year.

Saman says working illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, hair salon or convenience store would have been quite simple to do, but he explained to us he would never have participated in that.

Nonetheless, he states that those he interviewed working in unauthorized convenience stores during his investigation seemed "disoriented", notably those whose asylum claim has been refused and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals used all of their money to migrate to the United Kingdom, they had their refugee application refused and now they've lost their entire investment."

The other reporter concurs that these individuals seemed in dire straits.

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