In brief
After 12 years of seeking permission from Newport City Council to dive into a landfill, James Howells is now proposing to buy the site himself in hopes of finding his lost Bitcoin wallet.
For 12 years, James Howells has persistently sought permission from Newport City Council in South Wales to excavate a landfill where he believes a discarded hard drive containing $800 million in Bitcoin lies. This week, he laid out an ambitious plan: if the council won't allow him to dig up the landfill, he proposes buying it instead. Howells detailed his approach, which includes excavating thousands of tons of waste and employing advanced A.I.-driven detection technology to locate his lost crypto key. “This seems logical,” Howells said about his idea to potentially transform the landfill into a park or return it to operational status while pursuing his lost fortune.His quest for the Bitcoin treasure started in 2013 when he accidentally threw away the hard drive alongside other items. In his decade-long pursuit, Howells has engaged in legal battles, secured a data recovery company, and even consulted the former landfill director for site mapping. Despite these efforts, Newport City Council has consistently denied his requests, which are complicated by plans to close the landfill permanently.In his final pitch to the council, Howells argued that his proposal would not only allow him to retrieve his lost investment but could also benefit the community by cleaning up the landfill and addressing local waste management needs. While local officials have remained skeptical, Howells' determination remains unwavering as he presses forward with hope.
