Imagine: You took part in the Bitcoin boom at the very beginning and could now cut up several hundred million euros in one fell swoop in no time. Stupid-the key to the crypto wallet is buried under tons of garbage. And you are forbidden to search for it.
This is the bitter reality for the Welsh James Howells.He has been fighting for over 12 years to search the local dump for an old laptop hard drive with the key to his Bitcoin account. Since his municipality prohibits him, he now wants to buy the entire system.
Update am 12. Februar 2025:This article was published in a previous version in January, but we updated it again with the latest developments.
Crypto millions have ended up in the trash
That happened:Howells was among the first to discover Bitcoin in 2009. He stirred and acted with the cryptocurrency, so that after a while 7,500 to 8,000 Bitcoin came together. At some point, however, he lost interest and sold the laptop with which he filled his wallet.
He only kept the hard drive because it was the key to the Bitcoin account. He kept the data carrier in a drawer because he could not transfer the key to a new storage medium.
About ten years ago there was a catastrophic mistake:Howells was just in the process of mutating his old office as a move was due. He pressed a garbage bag into his hands into his girlfriend at the time, into which - you already suspected - accidentally thrown the hard drive.
It brought the hard drive to the next landfill in Newport Welsh and since then it was gradually buried by garbage.
What would the hard drive be worth today?
When the pitch bird lost the hard drive, it was worth around 700,000 euros, provided howlls says the truth and actually located 8,000 Bitcoin on it. According to today's course (February 12, 2025), he would be paid for almost 740 million euros for the 8,000 Bitcoin.
Bitcoin pioneer has wanted to turn the landfill upside down for years, but fails in court
Howells assumes that the hard drive is still on the garbage dump in Newport, because the residual waste was not yet sorted, but simply tipped out and/or buried there.
At the city council, the IT expert therefore tried to receive approval for a search, but did not get it because the dangers to the environment to his. In addition, the costs for the project are too high.
However, Howells created several concepts with AI-supported search methods, drones and large-scale waste to identify the hard drive too quickly as quickly as possible and to restrict the search radius. But these suggestions also failed for the reasons already mentioned.
Even a ten percent revenue participation for the city and co -financing by investors did not deviate the city council from its decision, especially since there is no definitive evidence of the existence of the hard drive and its integrity.
Howells did not want to accept this and went to court, but failed his lawsuit because the judge responsible saw no prospect of success. In addition, the property right of the hard drive went to the municipality, as is generally the case when submitting garbage.
However, the tech enthusiast cannot be taken away from it and has written a new plan ...
The computer technician just wants to buy the landfill
Like the British intelligence service BBCreportedIt has recently become known that the city council would like to close the garbage dump in the coming fiscal year. To set up a large-scale solar system at the point of the landfill.
Howell's reaction to this is cited as follows:
"The city council's intention to close the landfill so soon is a quite surprise, especially since he claimed before the Supreme Court that the closure of the landfill [...] had enormous disadvantages for the population of Newport while planning at the same time, while planning to close the landfill anyway. "
What: BBC
From previous reports, however, it has also emerged that environmental damage was particularly feared if the hard drive wants to dug. For example, malice substances could seep into the ground, which would be too high risk that the existence of the hard disk is not even proven.
Nevertheless, Howells have found investors for potential purchase again and would like to pursue the idea.
He also intends to submit a appeal against his mashed lawsuit in order to be able to search for the hard drive or to receive compensation in the amount of the current Bitcoin course.
It is more than questionable whether this will lead to success for the existence of the hard drive and its condition without secure evidence. It is also not said that the Welsher would not have rejected and silvered the Bitcoin in the first big hype about the cryptocurrency.
But we will probably not have heard of Howells for the last time, he seems to have put himself firmly in the head to find the hard drive at some point.
Did you buy Bitcoin once and now annoy you how much you could get for them now?
