Man Seeks to Buy Landfill Holding $750 Million in Lost Bitcoin

James Howells, who accidentally discarded a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins in 2013, proposes purchasing the Newport landfill to recover his cryptocurrency fortune.

• James Howells, a 39-year-old engineer from Wales, has been searching for over a decade for a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins, now valued at approximately $750 million.
• The hard drive was mistakenly thrown away in 2013 during a household cleanup and is believed to be buried in a Newport landfill.
• After multiple legal setbacks and rejected proposals to search the landfill, Howells is now considering buying the site outright with the help of investment partners.
• The Newport City Council recently announced plans to close the landfill and convert it into a solar farm, complicating Howells' efforts to recover the drive.
• Legal and environmental challenges persist, as the hard drive is considered municipal property and excavation could have significant ecological impacts.

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Libération Sud Ouest Ouest-France