He had over $760 Million dollars in Bitcoin on a hard drivešŸ“‰

He had over 760 Million dollars in Bitcoin on a hard drive.

Then, he accidentally threw it away.

Desperate to find it he offered his city $75 million to let him search for it.

Here is the wild story of the biggest treasure hunt of the 21st century:

Meet James Howells, an IT engineer in Wales, confidently threw an old hard drive during a cleanup in 2013.

What he didnā€™t realize: it held 8,000 Bitcoins.

At todayā€™s prices, thatā€™s over $760 millionā€”buried in a landfill.

But thatā€™s just the beginning..

ā¬‡ļøā¬‡ļøā¬‡ļø

The hard drive is lost under 110,000 tons of trash in Newportā€™s municipal landfill.

Howells approached the Newport City Council to dig it up.

They said no.

Environmental risks.

High costs.

Too much liability.

But Howells wasnā€™t giving up.

His solution?

A recovery plan straight out of a sci-fi movie.

ā€¢ Robot dogs to scan for signs of the hard drive.

ā€¢ AI-powered sorting machines to sift through mountains of trash.

ā€¢ A replica landfill to train the AI before the real hunt begins.

The estimated cost of this operation?

$11 million.

But Howells isnā€™t paying out of pocket.

Heā€™s partnered with hedge funds, offering them a cut of the treasure.

Still, the council says no.

Howells offered Newport a staggering 25% of the Bitcoin if they let him search.

Thatā€™s $190+ million at todays price.

Part of his plan?

He wants to build a Bitcoin hub in the city.

The councilā€™s response? Still no.

But Howell claims this isnā€™t just about recovering the moneyā€¦

Heā€™s brought in environmental scientists to guarantee the search is safe.

Heā€™s also proposed turning landfill methaneā€”harmful greenhouse gasā€”into energy.

It could transform Newportā€™s trash into a renewable energy source.

And the stakes?

Astronomical.

NASA engineers believe they can recover the data, even if the hard drive is damaged.

But first, it has to be found..

ā¬‡ļø

For over a decade, Howells has pursued this buried dream.

He has spent more than 10 years chasing his buried treasure under 110,000 tons of trash.

The takeaway:

This isnā€™t just a story about Bitcoin.

Itā€™s about persistence, innovation, and how far someone will go to fix a billion-dollar mistake.

What would you do if your fortune was buried in a landfill?

Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this:

1. Follow me for more

2. Repost this article or share with a friend

I'm a passionate content creator sharing daily insights into #DeFi