How To Find 8,000 Bitcoin Buried In A Landfill? 8,000 Bitcoin have gone up in smoke. This story is that of James Howells, a former computer scientist in Newport, whose life changed in 2013. Wanting to get rid of a hard drive he thought was virgin, the Englishman had just sent a booty estimated today at more than 180 million dollars.
After 9 years of research, he returns with a specific action plan to find the precious hard drive. A plan that could cost him several tens of millions of euros. But his request has so far come up against the refusal of the local authorities. A scenario worthy of a movie!
An XXL plan to find the hard drive!
For 9 years, James Howells has been actively involved in finding his war chest: 8,000 Bitcoins thrown away in 2013. Today, the 36-year-old former computer scientist returns with a plan that combines robot dogs, artificial intelligence, and venture capital funds. An XXL plan which could be the subject of a feature film by its unusual aspect.
The plan to find the infamous hard drive runs into the millions. 11 precisely. Schematically, it will consist of excavating more than 110,000 tonnes of waste.
To optimize the search, Howells is relying on a combination of human sorters, robot dogs, and an artificial intelligence machine that has been specifically trained to find anything resembling a hard drive. Depending on what is retained, the excavations could last between 18 and 36 months.
To carry out its plan, Howells has surrounded itself with experts with very specific skills. The shock team will include an expert in sorting assisted by artificial intelligence, an expert in landfill excavations, a specialist in waste management as well as an expert in data extraction.
The plan even includes security expenses, to prevent other people from finding the hard drive. The Boston Dynamics dog robots, researchers by day, would thus go into guard mode at night.
The team formed by Howells met for the first time last May at the Celtic Manor Resort, near Newport. Asked to film this meeting to make it a documentary, former “Top Gear” host Richard Hammond reportedly said the following:
"It's a story that ranges from the incredibly mundane to the colossal."
The city council as the main brake
But in this Hollywood scenario, there are necessarily ups and downs and a certain form of uncertainty about the feasibility of the project. This role is the responsibility of the municipal council, which has held it for almost 10 years.
Since Howells realized his mistake, the city council has always refused him the excavation of the landfill, arguing that these excavations would be both extremely expensive, above all potentially damaging to the environment.
In a statement to Insider, a councilman recently said:
"Mr. Howells cannot present us with anything that could induce the council to accept his project. His proposals present a significant ecological risk, which we cannot accept and which the terms of our permit prevent us from considering."
For nearly 10 years, Howells has lamented the little help he receives from the city council. He recently said that he never got a face-to-face meeting with council members. In May 2021, he was able to get a Zoom meeting of about twenty minutes to explain his problem. Too skinny considering the stakes. To further his cause, Howells reportedly met with local MP Jessica Morden last month.
Subject to the acceptance of the request by the city council, the research will be funded by Hanspeter Jaberg and Karl Wendeborn, two Swiss and German venture capitalists who have pledged to provide $11 million.
The ecological issue at the heart of the debate
In the excavation plan, Howells plans to clean up the trash, recycle as much of it as possible, and rebury the rest. If the environmental subject is very sensitive today, Howells made a point of specifying that his plan could not be qualified as ecocide:
"We do not want to harm the environment in any way. On the contrary, we want to leave everything in a better state."
To try to convince the city council more easily, Howells is now relying heavily on the ecological aspect of its approach. After the excavations, the plan calls for the construction of a solar or wind energy farm on the landfill site. However, there is no indication that the city council will change its tune.
What are the chances of recovering the hard drive?
First of all, they largely depend on the choice that the municipal council will make. If the council refuses again, Howells could take the local authority to court. On the grounds of “illegal embargo”. If the ex-computer scientist says he is reluctant to use this remedy, it may well end up being his last chance to recover his lost Bitcoin.
Assuming a happy ending for Howells with the city council, the companies involved are showing some confidence that the ring road will be found. But it is on the extraction of the data that the uncertainty weighs. The proper functioning of the hard drive will depend on one component: the platter.
This is a glass or metal disc that holds the data. According to Howells, if the platter isn't cracked, there's an 80-90% chance the data will be recoverable. Phil Bridges, a data recovery professional confirmed that these numbers are correct. On the other hand, if the plate is damaged, the probability of recovering the data tend toward 0.
If he managed to recover the data, Howells said he would keep around 30% of the loot. That's nearly $55 million at the current Bitcoin price. A third is provided for the recovery team. About 30% should return to investors.
In his plan, Howells also plans to help certain local causes. And donate £50, in BTC, to each of Newport's 150,000 residents. When we tell you that this story almost deserves a movie!
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