I believe that the hard drive containing 8,000 $BTC is currently lying in a city landfill. A dedicated engineer is tirelessly trying to recover this 'lost child', even if it means digging through trash until their hands are worn out.
With the news of Bitcoin prices about to hit a historic peak of $100,000 per coin, James Howells (39 years old), an engineer living in Newport (England), must be on edge about his lost 8,000 bitcoins.
It is known that Howells bought bitcoins from the early days of the emergence of this cryptocurrency on the market. The engineer stored them on a computer hard drive, secured with a digital key.
However, removing this hard drive from its original position during a computer upgrade led Howells into a decade-long 'tragedy.' By 2013, his wife accidentally threw the hard drive, which was in a drawer, during a cleanup.
Howells is convinced that the landfill site at Docksway is the 'resting place' of the lost hard drive, hence he has repeatedly requested the Newport City Council for permission to access it. However, the authorities have refused due to environmental concerns, despite Howells offering to give 25% of the bitcoin's value as a reward.
Bitcoin's price surge makes the owner even more eager
Last October, Howells announced suing the Newport City Council for 'holding my property without consent.' He blamed the authorities for not supporting him in finding his assets. Additionally, Howells demands compensation of nearly $600 million (around 15 trillion VND).
With the current rise in bitcoin's value, the engineer predicts that the hard drive could surpass $1.2 billion (over 30 trillion VND) next year.
As the price of bitcoin continues to soar, James Howells grows increasingly anxious about his massive wealth.
After 10 years of research, Howells has narrowed down the search area for the hard drive, which could be located in an area containing about 100,000 tons of garbage.
Moreover, two venture investors in Switzerland - Hanspeter Jaberg and Karl Wendeborn - have offered $11 million for this mission, even if it's like 'finding a needle in a haystack.' However, the crucial point is that they have not received any nod from the government yet.
Regarding the Newport City Council, a spokesperson stated: 'Mr. Howells has sued, and we would like to say: we strongly object! We vehemently oppose this unfounded request!'
