[Indian Revenue Intelligence: Stablecoins Become Primary Financial Tools for Drug and Gold Smuggling] The Indian Revenue Intelligence (DRI) warned in the '2024-25 India Smuggling Report' that cryptocurrencies and stablecoins are gradually replacing the hawala network as the primary means of fund transfer for drug and gold smuggling. The report states that due to their decentralized, anonymous, and borderless nature, digital assets provide smuggling groups with fast anonymous settlements, minimal regulation, and weak anti-money laundering compliance. A case uncovered by the DRI revealed that a transnational gold smuggling syndicate laundered over $12.7 million through hawala and USDT. The mastermind utilized multiple crypto wallets to layer funds and communicated via VPNs and encrypted applications.