James Howells, a Welsh IT professional, has ended his 12-year effort to retrieve a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoins worth an estimated 742 million euros. The hard drive was accidentally discarded in a landfill in Newport, South Wales, in 2013.
Howells acquired the Bitcoins early, when their value was negligible, and stored them on a hard drive. Years later, unaware of its worth, he accidentally threw the drive away. As Bitcoin’s value surged, the lost digital fortune grew to hundreds of millions.
Determined to recover the hard drive, Howells proposed excavating a 2,000-square-meter area of the landfill using drones, robots, and specialized teams. However, local authorities denied permission due to environmental and health risks associated with disturbing the landfill.
Under UK law, waste in landfills becomes property of the site, and disturbing it risks releasing toxins. After numerous refusals, a British judge ruled in 2024 that Howells had no realistic chance of retrieving the device, citing environmental dangers and elapsed legal time limits.
Howells expressed disappointment with the legal system, emphasizing that his effort was about principle as well as monetary value. Despite the setback, the judge noted that even if found, the hard drive’s data might not be recoverable due to prolonged exposure.
Ultimately, Howells has accepted the loss of the invaluable digital asset buried beneath tons of waste, ending a remarkable story of early cryptocurrency adoption and its unforeseen consequences.