James Howells from Wales, who lost a hard drive with 8,000 Bitcoins, has ended his search

James Howells from Wales, who lost a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoins and had unsuccessfully tried to find them at the landfill for over 12 years, officially ended his search.

This is reported by the scientific and technical publication Dailygalaxy.

James Howells, an IT specialist from Newport in South Wales (United Kingdom), once owned 8,000 Bitcoins. In 2013, according to him, his ex-girlfriend accidentally threw away the hard drive containing the keys to the Bitcoin wallet while cleaning the office. At that time, Bitcoin was still considered a speculative asset with relatively low value. No one could have predicted its explosive growth. The disk with the Bitcoins, which are now valued at $742 million, ended up in a municipal landfill and disappeared forever. The IT specialist was ready to fund the search for the disk himself and only asked for permission from the Newport city council.

James Howells was even willing to buy the landfill to find the $700 million in cryptocurrency lost there.

However, the authorities denied him. Officials cited the risks associated with toxic gas emissions, potential water contamination, and violations of environmental regulations. Furthermore, under British law, anything that ends up in a landfill becomes the property of that landfill. Violating its boundaries is a legally complex issue.

Howells fought not only against city officials but also against the legal system. His proposals were repeatedly reviewed in courts but were met with legal obstacles each time. In 2024, a British judge ruled that his efforts 'have no realistic prospect of success.'

The court justified its refusal by stating that the hard drive had been in the aggressive environment of the landfill for over 10 years and had been exposed to moisture, pressure, and temperature fluctuations. Additionally, the statute of limitations for lawsuits in the UK posed an obstacle. Even if the search had been permitted, experts acknowledge that the likelihood of the disk surviving is minimal. With this court ruling, the search officially concluded.