After 12 Years, James Howells Finally Gives Up on Recovering His $500 Million$BTC Bitcoin Hard Drive

After 12 long years of relentless efforts, James Howells — the man who accidentally threw away a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoins — has finally given up on his mission to retrieve it.

In 2013, the Welsh IT engineer mistakenly discarded the hard drive during a routine house clean-up in Newport, Wales. At the time, Bitcoin was worth only a few hundred dollars. Today, those lost coins are valued at over $500 million, making it one of the most infamous personal losses in crypto history.

Howells spent more than a decade trying to persuade the Newport City Council to allow an organized excavation of the landfill where the hard drive is believed to be buried. His proposals included multimillion-dollar, high-tech recovery plans involving AI, robotic dogs, and expert dig teams — all self-funded and environmentally conscious.

Despite gaining global media attention and backing from private investors, the council consistently denied his requests, citing environmental, legal, and health concerns.

Now, after 12 years of rejection, financial stress, and emotional exhaustion, Howells has officially ended his search. In his own words, "I’ve done everything I can. It’s time to let go."

James Howells’ story stands as a legendary example of crypto’s unforgiving nature. His experience is a stark reminder that, in the world of decentralized finance, losing access to your private keys means losing everything — permanently.#JamesHowells