In 2013, the life of James Howells, a British computer scientist, took an unfortunate turn. He threw away a hard drive containing no less than 8,000 bitcoins. At the time, these bitcoins were worth only a few hundred million dollars, but their value has since climbed over the last decade. The price of Bitcoin has indeed managed to pass the $100,000 mark. The cryptocurrencies lost in 2013 are now worth several hundred million dollars. The computer scientist had himself mined the bitcoins on his computer.
The incredible story of the bitcoins thrown away in 2013 continues
The hard drive ended up in a landfill in Newport, Wales. Determined to get his hands on his fortune, James Howells did everything he could to locate the hard drive in the landfill. Without success. The computer scientist then contacted NASA engineers before contacting the Newport municipality.
The latter requested authorization to conduct a vast search operation, relying on robot dogs designed by Boston Dynamics, at a cost of several million euros. The municipality firmly refused to collaborate with Howells. However, he offered several hundred million euros in compensation to the city of Newport.
Buying the landfill, the last option to find the bitcoins
Three years later, the computer scientist is back at it. He is now offering to buy the landfill where the lost hard drive is located, report our colleagues at the BBC. James Howells’ buyout offer comes as Newport City Council plans to close the landfill between 2025 and 2026. For the computer engineer, “it’s quite surprising that the council is considering closing the landfill so soon.”
The city had justified its previous refusals by the importance of the landfill for “the people of Newport”. The city believed that “its closure, to allow research to be carried out, would have an extremely negative impact.” Which is why James Howells seems particularly upset by the news of the closure.
Twelve years after losing the hard drive, he is still ready to do anything to recover his fortune. The Welsh computer scientist says he “recently discussed this option with investment partners and it is on the table.” To find the cryptos, Howells will have to dig through 1.4 million tonnes of waste…
Source: BBC
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