$BTC
End of the billion-dollar garbage treasure hunt
James Howells (39), a British IT engineer, has decided to end his 12-year quest for a hard drive buried in a landfill in Newport, which contains 8,000 Bitcoins (currently valued at around 920 million dollars).
These coins were mined in 2009 when the value of Bitcoin was just a few cents, but he accidentally threw away the drive in 2013.
Howells fought fiercely: he sued the Newport City Council for drilling rights, offered to share millions of the recovered value, and even planned to buy the landfill itself for high-tech excavation using smart drones (AI) and expert teams. But the council rejected his requests based on environmental protection laws, and the court later ruled that the drive belonged to the council.
Now, with the site being converted into a solar farm, the dream has come to an end.
It’s a harsh lesson for cryptocurrency holders: keep your electronic keys safe!