Angler missing for 20 years drowned in suspected cross-Channel drug smuggling bid

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"A keen angler who went missing on a trip to France 20 years ago has been declared dead after a judge found he actually drowned in the English Channel during a suspected botched drug smuggling operation. Kent dad Anthony Dugdale, then 43, disappeared after travelling to Calais towing a speedboat on a French ferry with a friend in April 2004 and has never been heard from since."

The Independent solicits donations to fund on-the-ground, paywall-free investigative reporting and projects such as examinations of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC and the documentary 'The A Word' about American women fighting for reproductive rights. The outlet emphasizes access for all and chooses reader support over paywalls. Anthony Dugdale, a 43-year-old angler, disappeared after travelling to Calais in April 2004 towing a speedboat and has not been heard from since. His Mercedes was later found abandoned near the Belgian side of the French border while the boat was never recovered. Police shifted focus to suspected drug involvement, and Master Karen Shuman ruled that Dugdale drowned in the English Channel, citing inquiries that described him as "not an able seaman" and noting a previous Channel rescue.

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