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Audio By Carbonatix
It’s over. It’s all over. James Howells has finally quit looking for the bitcoin hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoin that he accidentally threw away while cleaning his office in 2013. That hard drive, if he could have found it, would be worth around $950 million today.
In 2017, back when his 8,000 bitcoin would have been worth around $80 million, Howells, a computer engineer, wanted to dig up a landfill to see if he could find the hard drive. He wasn’t allowed.
In 2021, Howells offered to give away $70 million worth of the then-valued at $275,000 worth of bitcoin contained in his hard drive. Unfortunately for him, local government officials still wouldn’t let him excavate the landfill he believed the contained it due to the cost and environmental impact of the search.
Then, in October of 2024, James Howells filed a $647 million lawsuit against the local city council for damages he claimed were inflicted by the politicians denying his attempts to search the landfill.
Today, with those missing 8,000 bitcoin worth around $950 million, Howells has reportedly given up his search. According to Financial Express, Howells considered buying the landfill earlier this year. Again, however, the city council wouldn’t allow it. A judge would also deny Howell’s attempt, saying any search for the missing bitcoin hard drive at this point would have “no realistic prospect of succeeding.”
He has a new plan
However… despite numerous reports, James Howells posted on Monday on X (Twitter), “For over 12 years, I tried everything to engage with Newport City Council: Public Proposals, Percentages, Mediation, Legal action, AND a formal £25M+ offer. $1 Billion and they ignored it all. No response. No logic. No leadership. They want me to give up, but I’m not f—— leaving.
“But I am done asking permission,” he continued in a follow-up post. “So I’m tokenizing the entire wallet – 8,000 BTC – into 800B Ceiniog Coin (INI) – 1:1 satoshi value match. Built on Bitcoin, Powered by OP_RETURN, Integrates with Stacks, Runes, Ordinals, Launching Late-2025. The vault is mine, and I say the show goes on.
“To the established and distinguished gatekeepers who blocked me for over a decade: You can block the gates. You can pack the courts. But you cannot block the blockchain,” he wrote in a third post. “Crypto already won. Ceiniog is coming – and your world is collapsing.”
Content shared from brobible.com.