Howells hopes to find his multi-million BTC stash using Robot dogs, AI devices, and 24-hour CCTV cameras if only the Newport authorities approve the mission.

In 2013 James Howells – a citizen of Newport, Wales – unknowingly threw away his iPhone-sized hard drive containing 8,000 BTC. To recover his lost possessions (worth around $169 million as of now), he has reportedly come up with an $11 million master plan that will involve artificial intelligence-powered machines and robot dogs

This unfortunate story of James Howells began in 2009 when he mined 8,000 BTC. As of then, the primary cryptocurrency was worth but a few cents, and so he did not pay much attention to it. In 2013, the Welsh man while trying to reorganize his desk, threw away all unnecessary items.

Unfortunately for him, he had two identical laptop hard drives – one was empty and the other had 8,000 BTC in it. And as you already know the latter ended up in a trash bag and is now laying underneath 110,000 tons of garbage.

Howells has spent the past nine years seeking permission to dig his hard drive from the local authorities. But Newport’s city council has multiple times denied his requests, stating that the search could ruin the land and damage the environment.

The 36-year-old man who is desperate to find his crypto holdings (worth $169 million at current prices), presented a new proposal worth $11 million to the authorities, as revealed by Business Insider. The plan includes the employment of human labor, robot dogs, and artificial intelligence machinery, which should do the job in a way that would not bring harm to the natural landscape.
And according to his calculations, this search could take up to three years. As the machines would dig up the garbage and prepare the landfill for exploration. Then, 24-hour CCTV cameras, AI machines, and robot dogs would scan through the area day and night until the hard drive is spotted. Once the mission is completed, the team would then clean the garbage ground and recycle the litter.

Howells said, “We do not want to damage the environment in any way. If anything, we want to leave everything in a better condition,”

However, Newport’s authorities have not yet been convinced as they do not seem open to his idea. A representative of the council told the media that the proposal still poses significant ecological risks which are not acceptable.

Even if Howells gets to find his hard drive again, it might be well damaged from all the years of laying underneath tons of garbage. However, the Welsh is estimating that if the “platter” – a disc made of metal or glass that holds the data – is not broken, there is an 80% to 90% chance that the device would work.

And to show his gratitude, he has vowed to give 30% of his crypto holdings to the workers who would help him in this mission, distribute $60 in bitcoin amongst the residents of Newport and keep only 30% of the total stash for himself.

Featured image source: cryptosaurus.tech