James Howells is convinced that somewhere in a Newport landfill in Wales, there is a hard drive with more than 700 million euros in Bitcoins that belong to him. The storage unit ended in the garbage more than a decade ago, when the British discarded it by error in 2013.
When the City Council learned of the case months later, made clear that Rescuing the hard drive would have required acting quickly. Because? Because every day that passed it meant more layers of waste and land accumulating on the lost device, further making possible recovery.
Decades after a lost treasure
It is not known with certainty when Howells submitted a formal request to look for the hard drive on the landfill, But Wired reported in 2017 that local authorities They had denied access. While his fortune continued to grow, the hard drive was increasingly buried under tons of waste.
In recent years, the British has not stopped insisting, although without success. He got sponsors to cover the expenses of the taskswhich could extend for several months. In addition, he promised to donate 10% of the bitcoins recovered to the City Council if he achieved their goal.
But the rejection was categorical again and again. The Council cited several arguments, including such activities would have a negative environmental impact and that, probably, the device would already be in unusable condition. Before the refusal, Howells sued the Newport City Council last year.
The plaintiff’s attempt to offer a reward in Bitcoins was considered a “bribe” towards the City Council. Finally, the case was elevated to the Superior Court, that ended up dismissing it. Judge Keyer KC said approximately a month ago that the claim had no “realistic successful perspectives.”
Everything seemed to indicate that the millionaire without his millions had lost any possibility of acting. However, an unexpected movement has given him a new opportunity. Newport has announced plans to close the landfill and turn part of the land On a solar farm. Howells has acted immediately.
One of the obstacles of his search mission was that the landfill would have to close for several months, something that the City Council considered harmful to the inhabitants of the place. Now things seem to be changing, and there is a certain halo of hope for the insistent resident.
“If the Newport City Council was arranged, it would potentially be interested in Buy the landfill ‘As is’, and I have discussed this option with investor partners. It is something that is very on the table, ”said Howells on Monday. Touch to wait to know if this time the affected will succeed in their attempt.
Images | James Howells (Instagram) + Photoshop | KANCHANARA
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