Few Bitcoin (BTC) investors take their hobby as far as James Howells. This British engineer began investing in Bitcoin early on, but lost his wallet data in 2013 when he accidentally stole a hard drive containing his Bitcoins private keys thrown away. Since then, he’s been trying to find the hard drive in a scrap heap, but the local government hasn’t been particularly cooperative. He has therefore decided to sue the government.
Bitcoin treasure hunters wants to dig up a landfill
Howells had up to 8,000 BTC on the hard drivethat’s why he decided in 2021 to look for his hard drive – in the landfill. But the Newport community wasn’t exactly cooperating because they wanted everyone in the town of Newport to take part in the search. The community did not allow this.
He then decided to take a more tactical approach. He has finally lots of experience with computers and technology, Therefore, the search became a high-tech treasure hunt. By methodically excavating the landfill using computer models powered by artificial intelligence (AI), he would have a better chance of making the right find.
If he wants to completely dig up the landfill, it will cost him three years and $11 million. A scaled-down version of this lasts just 18 months and costs about $6 million. He even found external investors for this. At today’s value, the coins would be worth more than $200 million.
Lawsuit against stubborn government
But the government also does not agree with this new plan. The Telegraph writes that he therefore decided to sue Newport City Council. He told the English newspaper that he was surprised that the community did not want to resolve the conflict in court earlier.
“Do they want to spend £10,000 an hour to stop me digging a hole in the ground? How do you explain this to taxpayers under the current (economic) circumstances?”
According to the newspaper, the complaint says Howells agreed to cover the costs of the excavation and make donations to the community. A spokesman for the municipality explained that the municipality had already made it clear several times that the excavation should not continue. The reason for this is still unclear.