The Reasons We Went Undercover to Uncover Criminal Activity in the Kurdish-origin Population

Two Kurdish-background individuals consented to go undercover to uncover a operation behind illegal High Street enterprises because the lawbreakers are causing harm the image of Kurds in the Britain, they say.

The pair, who we are referring to as Saman and Ali, are Kurdish investigators who have both lived legally in the UK for years.

The team found that a Kurdish crime network was managing small shops, barbershops and car washes throughout Britain, and aimed to discover more about how it functioned and who was taking part.

Equipped with covert cameras, Saman and Ali posed as Kurdish-origin asylum seekers with no authorization to be employed, looking to acquire and manage a convenience store from which to trade illegal tobacco products and electronic cigarettes.

The investigators were able to discover how easy it is for someone in these circumstances to establish and operate a commercial operation on the main street in full view. The individuals participating, we learned, compensate Kurdish individuals who have British citizenship to legally establish the businesses in their names, helping to mislead the authorities.

Saman and Ali also were able to covertly film one of those at the core of the network, who stated that he could erase official sanctions of up to sixty thousand pounds faced those employing unauthorized laborers.

"I aimed to play a role in uncovering these unlawful activities [...] to say that they do not represent our community," explains one reporter, a ex- refugee applicant himself. Saman entered the UK without authorization, having fled the Kurdish region - a area that spans the boundaries of multiple Middle Eastern countries but which is not officially recognized as a state - because his safety was at threat.

The investigators acknowledge that conflicts over unauthorized migration are high in the UK and say they have both been concerned that the inquiry could intensify conflicts.

But the other reporter says that the illegal working "damages the entire Kurdish-origin community" and he feels compelled to "bring it [the criminal network] out into broad daylight".

Furthermore, Ali mentions he was concerned the reporting could be used by the extreme right.

He explains this notably affected him when he noticed that extreme right campaigner Tommy Robinson's Unite the Kingdom rally was occurring in London on one of the Saturdays and Sundays he was operating secretly. Banners and flags could be spotted at the protest, displaying "we demand our nation back".

Saman and Ali have both been monitoring online reaction to the inquiry from inside the Kurdish community and explain it has caused significant outrage for certain individuals. One social media message they spotted read: "How can we find and find [the undercover reporters] to attack them like dogs!"

Another urged their families in the Kurdish region to be harmed.

They have also seen allegations that they were spies for the UK authorities, and traitors to fellow Kurdish people. "Both of us are not informants, and we have no intention of damaging the Kurdish-origin community," Saman says. "Our objective is to uncover those who have damaged its image. Both journalists are honored of our Kurdish heritage and extremely concerned about the actions of such people."

Most of those applying for asylum state they are escaping political oppression, according to Ibrahim Avicil from the Refugee Workers Cultural Association, a organization that assists refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

This was the scenario for our undercover reporter Saman, who, when he initially came to the UK, struggled for many years. He says he had to survive on under £20 a week while his asylum claim was considered.

Asylum seekers now receive about forty-nine pounds a week - or nine pounds ninety-five if they are in shelter which offers food, according to government guidance.

"Honestly saying, this is not sufficient to support a acceptable existence," says the expert from the the organization.

Because asylum seekers are mostly prevented from working, he believes a significant number are susceptible to being taken advantage of and are effectively "obligated to work in the unofficial market for as low as £3 per hourly rate".

A representative for the authorities commented: "The government make no apology for denying asylum seekers the permission to be employed - doing so would generate an motivation for individuals to migrate to the UK illegally."

Asylum cases can require years to be resolved with nearly a one-third taking more than 12 months, according to government data from the late March this current year.

Saman says being employed without authorization in a car wash, hair salon or mini-mart would have been quite easy to achieve, but he told the team he would never have participated in that.

Nevertheless, he says that those he met working in unauthorized mini-marts during his work seemed "disoriented", especially those whose asylum claim has been rejected and who were in the legal challenge.

"These individuals expended all of their savings to migrate to the UK, they had their asylum refused and now they've forfeited their entire investment."

Ali acknowledges that these individuals seemed hopeless.

"If [they] say you're forbidden to be employed - but also [you]