SOURCE
For over ten years, James Howells has been on a relentless mission to recover a fortune that accidentally ended up in a landfill. The Newport-based IT engineer, who threw away a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoins in 2013, is now suing Newport City Council in a final bid to get it back.
At the time, Bitcoin was relatively unknown, and his lost cryptocurrency was worth under £1 million. But with the explosive rise in Bitcoin’s value, the hard drive is now worth nearly half a billion pounds. Howells, one of the earliest Bitcoin miners, mistakenly discarded the hard drive during a household clearout, a mistake that has haunted him ever since.
Despite multiple attempts to convince the council to excavate the landfill, Howells has faced years of refusal and inaction. His lawsuit, filed for £495 million in damages, is less about financial compensation and more about pushing the council to allow a search of the landfill where he believes his hard drive still lies.
The stakes are high, but Howells is prepared. He has gathered a team of experts and investors to cover the £10 million cost of the excavation, offering the council 10% of the recovered Bitcoin, potentially worth hundreds of millions.
Howells’ saga began in August 2013, when a simple miscommunication with his then-partner led to the hard drive being accidentally taken to the local recycling center. Initially, the loss seemed small, but within months, Bitcoin’s value had surged, and his £1 million loss had ballooned to £9 million. Today, the value has skyrocketed even further, making it a financial tragedy of epic proportions.
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Over the years, Howells has dedicated himself to recovering the hard drive. He left his job and secured the backing of investors willing to support the operation. If successful, the Bitcoin will be divided among the team, the council, and Howells himself.
The case is set to be heard in December, marking a pivotal moment in Howells’ decade-long quest. Will Newport finally allow the search, or will the treasure remain buried? Only time will tell, but one thing is clear: James Howells isn’t giving up without a fight.
Wait, he considered a 1 million loss small?
I was thinking the same thing.... small compared to 500million im guessing!!??!!
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Imagine that's his whole life every day now what a waste. No way he would ever find it and if he somehow did he'd never get the data.