Bitcoin Hunter: Race Against Time as Landfill Site Closes

A British man, James Howells, is considering buying a landfill site in southern Wales to recover a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins, potentially worth billions of pounds. The 39-year-old IT engineer from Newport, UK, has spent a decade trying to locate the missing fortune, which he believes is buried in the municipal landfill.

Howells' quest began in 2013 when he accidentally threw away the hard drive containing his bitcoin wallet. At the time, the cryptocurrency was worth a fraction of its current value, but the potential fortune has grown significantly over the years. The hard drive is believed to hold 7,500 bitcoins, which would be worth approximately £6 billion at current exchange rates.

Howells' search for the hard drive has been met with resistance from Newport City Council, which has refused to allow him to search the landfill site. The council argued in the UK High Court that allowing the search would have a significant impact on Newport residents. However, the council has since announced plans to close and cap the site, which would almost certainly end any hopes of recovering the bitcoins.

The council has obtained planning permission to build a solar power station on part of the landfill site, which has left Howells "pretty surprised." He stated, "The council argued in the High Court that allowing me to search the landfill would have a huge detrimental impact on Newport residents, but at the same time, they have plans to close the landfill."

Howells has not given up on his quest to recover the missing bitcoins and is now considering buying the landfill site to conduct his own search. He has been exploring various legal options to make this happen, but it remains to be seen whether he will be successful in his endeavor.