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BBC investigation uncovers Kurdish crime network facilitating illegal migrant labor in UK mini-marts
A BBC investigation has revealed a widespread Kurdish-led criminal network enabling asylum seekers to illegally operate mini-marts, barbershops, and car washes across the UK, with over 100 businesses identified from Dundee to south Devon. The scheme relies on "ghost directors"-paid figureheads who lend their names to official paperwork while having no actual involvement in running the businesses.
How the network operates
Undercover reporters posing as Kurdish asylum seekers were shown how easily they could take over a shop and profit from selling illegal vapes and cigarettes. One shopkeeper in Crewe admitted weekly earnings from illicit tobacco could reach £3,000, while another claimed to hide stock in a "stash car" until Trading Standards officers finished their shifts at 17:00.
Many of these businesses dissolve after about a year, only to reopen with minor changes to paperwork-a tactic financial crime investigator Graham Barrow described as a "red flag" for tax evasion and regulatory avoidance.
Ghost directors and shell companies
The investigation linked two key figures-Hadi Ahmad Ali and Ismael Ahmedi Farzanda-to over 50 businesses each. Both men, based in the West Midlands, admitted to acting as ghost directors for fees of £250-£300 per month. Farzanda, who claimed to handle paperwork through an "accountant," was fined £4,500 in 2024 for selling illegal vapes to a 14-year-old. Ahmad Ali, disqualified from company directorship for five years after a 2024 conviction, denied involvement when confronted.
Companies House records showed a pattern of businesses being dissolved and re-registered with slight name variations-likely to evade scrutiny. Barrow warned the network could involve "hundreds" of businesses nationwide.
Exploitation and illegal employment
Asylum seekers, barred from most employment under UK law, were found working 14-hour shifts in these shops for as little as £50-£65 per day. One worker in Blackpool admitted using a fake name (Kurdish singer Aziz Waisi) during Trading Standards raids, while another in Salford revealed he had yet to claim asylum despite living in the UK for six months. Both expressed fear of immigration enforcement but dismissed Trading Standards fines as inconsequential.
Government response
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood vowed to crack down, stating:
"Illegal working and linked organised criminality creates an incentive for people to come here illegally. We will not stand for it."
Shabana Mahmood, Home Secretary
The Home Office reported a 51% increase in raids this year, with fines for illegal employment rising to £60,000 per worker. Authorities have also seized millions in unlicensed goods and removed over 35,000 undocumented individuals.
Undercover findings
The BBC's Kurdish reporters, including a former asylum seeker, infiltrated Facebook groups where shops were advertised weekly. In Crewe, a shopkeeper named Surchi-an asylum seeker whose claim was refused-offered to sell his mini-mart for £18,000 cash, boasting he had never paid council tax. He demonstrated how to tamper with electricity meters and conceal stock, even selling vapes to teenagers as young as 12.
Builders contacted via Facebook offered to construct hidden compartments for illegal goods, including a £6,000 "vending machine" chute designed to outsmart sniffer dogs.
Broader implications
The investigation highlights systemic exploitation within the Kurdish community, with reporters noting tensions over immigration could worsen due to such revelations. One reporter emphasized:
"I wanted to expose these activities to show they don't represent us."
Undercover Kurdish reporter
Companies House stated it now shares intelligence with law enforcement, while Trading Standards confirmed 17 raids on shops linked to Ahmad Ali and Farzanda since 2021.
