A British Individual Pursues Possession of Trash Area Containing Abandoned Hard Drive Holding 8,000 Bitcoins
Man's Search for Buried Bitcoin Hits a Roadblock as Newport Council Plans Landfill Closure
James Howell, a computer engineer from the U.K., has officially ended his 12-year quest to find a hard drive containing approximately 8,000 Bitcoin, buried in a landfill site in Newport. The decision comes after the Newport city council announced plans to close the landfill site in the 2025/26 financial year, and develop it into a solar plant to power the council's new bin lorries.
Howell's search began in 2013, when he claimed his ex-girlfriend discarded the hard drive. At the time, the Bitcoin on the hard drive was worth between $400,000 and $1,972,000. Today, the same amount is worth a staggering $784 million.
Last year, Howell filed a lawsuit against the city council, seeking access to the landfill site or compensation of GBP 495 million ($646 million). However, the lawsuit was unsuccessful, and the judge dismissed his claim to gain access to the landfill site located at Newport's Docks Way.
Despite the setback, Howell has not completely abandoned his claim. He is pivoting to a new approach by tokenizing his legal ownership rights to the hard drive, essentially creating a digital asset that represents his claim. This move indicates he is seeking alternative legal or financial means to derive value from his lost Bitcoin holdings, even though the landfill purchase or excavation appears no longer feasible.
The council's decision to close the landfill site and develop it into a solar plant has not been challenged in court. The solar plant development for the landfill site was not mentioned in earlier reports. The council has not publicly addressed Howell's concerns about the timing of the landfill site's closure, which contradicts their previous statements about the potential impact on Newport's residents.
Howell expressed surprise about the council's plans, as he believes they contradict their previous statements about the impact of closing the landfill site. He had expressed hopes of buying the dump site to continue his search for the hard drive. However, with the site's planned closure, Howell's efforts to locate the hard drive containing the 8,000 Bitcoin may be affected.
References:
- BBC News
- The Guardian
- CoinDesk
- Newport Now
- CryptoSlate
- Despite the setback in his physical search for the hard drive, James Howell continues to explore technology-based solutions, such as tokenizing his legal ownership rights to the Bitcoin-laden hard drive.
- The Newport city council's decision to close the landfill site and develop it into a solar plant signifies a significant shift in technology and sustainability, potentially marking the end of Howell's quest for the hidden Bitcoin but paving the way for a greener future.
