James Howells, a 39 -year -old British computer scientist, continues his fierce fight to recover a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins, now estimated at more than $ 750 million. Faced with the imminent closure of the landfill where its digital treasure is located, it now envisages a radical solution: buying the whole site to the municipality of Newport.
The desperate quest for a Briton to find 8,000 bitcoins in a discharge
In 2013, during an ordinary office cleaning, James Howlls made the error that will upset his life. He accidentally places his hard drive containing an 8000 Bitcoins portfolio in a black bag for waste.
His partner of the time, thinking that it was garbage, deposited the bag in the municipal discharge of Newport, in Wales. Since that fateful day, Howlls has not stopped increasing attempts to recover what represents a colossal fortune today, multiplying the proposals with the municipality, going so far as to offer a reward of $ 60 million in 2022.
Faced with the repeated refusals of the municipality, the computer scientist proposed increasingly ambitious solutions. In 2022, he even suggested using robot dogs and artificial intelligence to methodically search the 110,000 tonnes of waste, promising a reward of $ 60 million in the city if successful.
A last hope in the face of the closure of the site
Despite his efforts, Howells underwent a major setback in January 2024 when the high court rejects his request for access to the landfill, believing that he had “had” No realistic perspective Success. The situation is still worsening with the recent announcement of the upcoming closure of the site, which the municipality of Newport intends to partially transform into a solar farm.
However, far from being discouraged, he now offers a bold solution: buying the entire site. “” I discussed this option with investment partners and it is something that is completely on the table ”he declared at the Guardian.
This proposal occurs while the Newport Municipal Council has obtained a building permit to set up a solar power plant on part of the land. The discharge, exploited since the early 2000s, is filled with 80-90 % of its capacity, which explains its planned closure in the next two years.
This extraordinary story illustrates not only the vertiginous issues linked to cryptos, but also the crucial importance of securing digital assets. While Bitcoin reaches historical heights, these 8,000 lost bitcoins join the millions of others definitively inaccessible, paradoxically contributing to the rarity of the crypto.
Maximize your Cointribne experience with our 'Read to Earn' program! For each article you read, earn points and access exclusive rewards. Sign up now and start accumulating advantages.
