Man who lost 8,000 Bitcoin makes a shocking move

For over a decade, James Howells has tried everything to recover his infamous lost hard drive, the one containing 8,000 BTC, now worth over $900 million

“I am done asking permission,” Howells posted on Aug.4. “So I’m tokenizing the entire wallet — 8,000 BTC — into 800 billion Ceiniog Coin (INI) – 1:1 satoshi value match.”

Built on Bitcoin and using the OP_RETURN function, Ceiniog Coin will integrate with projects like Stacks, Runes, and Ordinals. According to Howells, the token is launching in late 2025 — and he’s calling it a direct challenge to the institutions that shut him out.

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 pic.twitter.com/z9IWrurojD

— James Howells (@howelzy) August 4, 2025

“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. Crypto already won,” he wrote.

Join the discussion with Scott Melker on Roundtable here.

The move comes just months after a UK judge dismissed Howells’ high-profile lawsuit against Newport Council. In the January 2025 ruling, Judge Andrew John Keyser KC said there were “no reasonable grounds” for his case and “no realistic prospect” of success.

Howells had been trying to obtain permission to excavate the Newport Docksway landfill, where he believes the hard drive — mistakenly tossed out in 2013 — still sits under an estimated 100,000 tonnes of waste.

“I’ve tried public proposals, percentages, mediation, legal action, and a formal £25 million offer,” he said on X. “They ignored it all. No response. No logic. No leadership.”

The council has argued that excavation is not legally permitted and would risk environmental damage. But Howells isn’t giving up. If Newport Council refuses to sell, he’s floated buying the entire site with investors. He’s also appealing the court’s decision and hinted he might take the fight to the UK Supreme Court.

As per Kraken's price feeds, Bitcoin is trading at $103,128.