In 2013, a British IT professional, James Howells, mistakenly discarded a hard drive containing 7,500 bitcoin worth less than $1 million at that time. Today, those coins have escalated in value to around $750 million, prompting Howell’s desire to acquire the entire landfill to retrieve his lost fortune.
While Howell intends to recover his hard drive, the process is complicated by his lack of resources to purchase the site from Newport, Wales’ local government, which currently owns it.
He stated, “I would potentially be interested in purchasing the landfill site ‘as is’ and have discussed this option with investment partners and it is something that is very much on the table.”
In November 2013, Howells became aware of his mistake and since then, he has pursued access to the landfill to search for the hard drive.
His efforts intensified in 2023, when he threatened to sue the council for half a billion dollars in damages. Following this, he sought a judicial review for the council’s denial of site access.
During a preliminary court hearing late last year, Howell’s legal team asserted that they had narrowed down the drive’s location to a specific area within the landfill, suggesting that excavation would not necessitate extensive digging.
However, lawyers for Newport Council argued that Howell lacked a legal claim, asserting that “anything that goes into the landfill becomes the council’s property.” The council also claimed that excavating the site would pose a significant environmental risk to surrounding areas.
Ultimately, the judge sided with the council, dismissing Howell’s claim. Nevertheless, with such a substantial amount of money at stake, Howell remains determined not to give up.
Over time, Howell’s account has evolved. Earlier reports describe how he disposed of the drive during an office cleanup, to which he remarked, “You know when you put something in the bin, and in your head, say to yourself ’that’s a bad idea’? I really did have that.” More recent narratives have suggested that he placed the drive in a black plastic bag, which his partner mistakenly discarded as waste.
This change in the account may have legal implications. If Howell can prove that the drive was never intended to be thrown away, it could bolster his case. However, current court decisions indicate otherwise, as his original intentions regarding the drive’s disposal remain moot.
Meanwhile, Newport Council has shown no inclination to sell the property to Howell or any purported investors, leaving the future uncertain. As the bitcoin market continues to fluctuate, the intrigue surrounding this lost digital treasure is guaranteed to persist.
