The Reasons We Went Undercover to Expose Criminal Activity in the Kurdish-origin Community

A pair of Kurdish individuals consented to work covertly to expose a network behind illegal commercial businesses because the criminals are causing harm the image of Kurdish people in the Britain, they explain.

The two, who we are referring to as Saman and Ali, are Kurdish reporters who have both resided lawfully in the UK for years.

Investigators discovered that a Kurdish crime network was running convenience stores, hair salons and car washes the length of Britain, and wanted to learn more about how it functioned and who was taking part.

Equipped with secret cameras, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish refugee applicants with no authorization to be employed, looking to purchase and operate a mini-mart from which to distribute unlawful cigarettes and electronic cigarettes.

They were able to uncover how easy it is for someone in these conditions to set up and run a enterprise on the main street in plain sight. The individuals participating, we discovered, compensate Kurds who have British citizenship to legally establish the operations in their identities, enabling to fool the authorities.

Ali and Saman also managed to discreetly film one of those at the heart of the operation, who claimed that he could eliminate official fines of up to £60k imposed on those using unauthorized laborers.

"I aimed to contribute in uncovering these illegal practices [...] to loudly proclaim that they do not represent our community," states Saman, a ex- asylum seeker personally. Saman came to the UK without authorization, having escaped from Kurdistan - a region that spans the boundaries of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria but which is not officially recognized as a state - because his life was at risk.

The reporters recognize that disagreements over unauthorized migration are high in the United Kingdom and explain they have both been concerned that the inquiry could worsen hostilities.

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

Additionally, the journalist explains he was anxious the coverage could be seized upon by the extreme right.

He states this notably affected him when he discovered that far-right campaigner a prominent activist's Unite the Kingdom protest was taking place in London on one of the weekends he was working secretly. Placards and banners could be spotted at the gathering, displaying "we demand our nation returned".

Both journalists have both been observing social media feedback to the exposé from within the Kurdish-origin community and say it has sparked significant frustration for some. One social media post they spotted said: "How can we locate and track [the undercover reporters] to attack them like animals!"

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

They have also encountered allegations that they were spies for the British government, and traitors to other Kurds. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no desire of hurting the Kurdish population," Saman states. "Our objective is to reveal those who have harmed its standing. We are honored of our Kurdish-origin heritage and profoundly concerned about the actions of such persons."

The majority of those applying for refugee status say they are escaping politically motivated persecution, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the a charitable organization, a organization that supports asylum seekers and refugee applicants in the United Kingdom.

This was the scenario for our covert reporter Saman, who, when he initially arrived to the UK, struggled for many years. He states he had to survive on less than twenty pounds a per week while his refugee application was considered.

Refugee applicants now receive about forty-nine pounds a per week - or £9.95 if they are in shelter which includes food, according to official policies.

"Practically stating, this isn't sufficient to support a acceptable existence," says the expert from the the organization.

Because refugee applicants are largely restricted from working, he believes a significant number are susceptible to being exploited and are essentially "obligated to work in the unofficial economy for as little as £3 per hour".

A representative for the government department commented: "We are unapologetic for denying refugee applicants the permission to work - granting this would generate an reason for people to migrate to the United Kingdom without authorization."

Refugee applications can require years to be processed with approximately a one-third taking more than one year, according to government figures from the end of March this current year.

Saman explains being employed illegally in a vehicle cleaning service, barbershop or mini-mart would have been extremely simple to achieve, but he explained to us he would never have engaged in that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he interviewed laboring in illegal mini-marts during his investigation seemed "confused", notably those whose asylum claim has been refused and who were in the appeals process.

"These individuals expended all their money to migrate to the UK, they had their refugee application rejected and now they've sacrificed all they had."

Ali agrees that these people seemed hopeless.

"When [they] declare you're not allowed to be employed - but additionally [you]