Shocker! Man considers buying landfill to recover $800M in Bitcoin
What's the story
James Howells, a 39-year-old UK-based IT specialist, is considering buying a South Wales landfill site.
The reason? He thinks a hard drive with £600 million ($800 million) worth of Bitcoin, is buried there.
The move comes after Howells's failed legal battle last month against Newport City Council, where he had sought permission to search the dump for his lost fortune.
Closure impact
Landfill closure threatens recovery of lost Bitcoin
The Newport City Council has now revealed plans to close and seal the landfill site, a move that could very well end Howells's hopes of recovering his lost Bitcoin.
The council has already received planning permission to set up a solar farm on part of the land.
Howells was surprised at this development, saying it was "quite a surprise" to learn about the closure plan.
Acquisition plan
Howells considers purchasing landfill to continue search
In light of the council's closure plans, Howells has now proposed buying the landfill site 'as is.'
He has spoken to investment partners about the possibility and confirmed that it is "very much on the table."
This could potentially enable him to continue his search for the lost hard drive containing his Bitcoin fortune.
Misfortune
The story behind the lost Bitcoin fortune
Howells's nightmare started in 2013 when he accidentally threw away a hard drive that had his Bitcoin wallet.
The device was thrown away by mistake during an office clean-up and has since been lost in the landfill.
Despite multiple appeals to the council for help in retrieving it, all his efforts have gone in vain so far.