British IT Engineer James Howells Announces Tokenization of 8,000 Bitcoin Wallet After Years of Searching
James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, UK, mistakenly discarded a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins in 2013, which is now worth over $900 million. For years, he has sought permission to excavate the landfill where the hard drive was thrown away. However, it seems he has finally given up, announcing plans to tokenize his 8,000 bitcoin wallet.
(Background: 8,000 BTC Hard Drive Lost in Landfill! UK Man’s Excavation Request Denied by Court: Will Appeal to the Supreme Court, Government Owes Me $640 Million)
(Supplementary Background: 8,000 BTC Hard Drive Lost in Landfill, UK Man Sues Government: Compensate Me $647 Million)
James Howells and His Lost Bitcoin
Do you remember? In Newport, UK, IT engineer James Howells accidentally discarded a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins (now valued at over $900 million) as garbage in 2013. To retrieve his bitcoins, he has continuously attempted to apply to the Newport City Council for permission to excavate the landfill.
However, the council has repeatedly denied his requests, citing long-term environmental permit restrictions, and the landfill is expected to close between 2025 and 2026, further diminishing his chances of recovering the BTC.
12 Years of Negotiation Without Results
Late last night, Howells posted on X, stating that over the past 12 years, he has made public proposals, profit-sharing plans, sought third-party mediation, pursued legal action, and even formally offered over £25 million in a buyout proposal, totaling a value of $1 billion. Nevertheless, the council has never responded, and Howells bluntly stated that the officials lack logic and leadership, believing their attitude is “hoping I will give up.”
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
— James Howells (@howelzy) August 4, 2025
Announcing the Tokenization of His Bitcoin
After multiple unsuccessful negotiations, Howells wrote in his post, “I am no longer seeking consent.” He stated that he would tokenize the wallet containing 8,000 bitcoins, issuing 800 billion Ceiniog Coins (INI), with each INI corresponding to one satoshi, representing a 1:1 value mapping (as he claims).
Howells indicated that Ceiniog Coin would be built on the Bitcoin main chain, utilizing OP_RETURN technology, and could integrate with the Bitcoin ecosystem, including Stacks, Runes, and Ordinals, with a planned official launch by the end of 2025. He wrote:
This treasury is mine, and now I have the final say.
Local Government’s Silence and the Crypto Community’s Response
In response to Howells’s public announcement, some users encouraged him not to give up, while others suggested he consider other cryptocurrency projects. However, it appears that he has indeed given up on continuing the struggle with the council, and the likelihood of recovering those 8,000 bitcoins is extremely low.
Although feeling regret for his loss, Howells’s intention to issue Ceiniog Coin seems largely symbolic; its value cannot align with the lost BTC. Yet, for him, who dedicated his life to retrieving his coins, this may provide a small measure of solace.
12 Years of Efforts to Find Bitcoin Come to Naught
For over a decade, James Howells has devoted himself full-time to searching for the hard drive and has given up his IT job. It is reported that the landfill contains over 1.4 million tons of garbage.
Dailymail analysis suggests that the hard drive has been buried under layers of waste since being discarded, and as more garbage accumulates, the difficulty of finding it has become as challenging as searching for a needle in a haystack. With plans to close the landfill now announced, the chances of recovering his bitcoin fortune have diminished even further, not to mention the potential for the hard drive to be permanently damaged in harsh conditions.
