Imagine a single misstep resulting in a staggering loss of $800 million, and potentially billions in the near future! For James Howells, a 39-year-old British computer scientist, this nightmare became a harsh reality in 2013 when his ex-girlfriend acciden

In 2013, James Howells claims his life took an irreversible turn when his girlfriend carelessly tossed a hard drive into the trash, a device that held 8,000 Bitcoins.

A single misstep can have staggering consequences, and for 39-year-old British computer scientist James Howells, one ex-girlfriend’s actions in 2013 set in motion a chain of events that would change his life forever.

It all began when Howells’s ex-girlfriend accidentally discarded a hard drive into a Welsh landfill. The device contained 8,000 Bitcoins, which at the time had minimal value. However, as the digital currency rose to new highs, becoming ‘digital gold,’ the discarded drive is now estimated to hold a staggering $820 million.

Over the past 12 years, Howells has been persistently seeking to recover his lost fortune, but his efforts to excavate the landfill have been repeatedly rejected by the Newport council, and the judge dismissed his lawsuit seeking access to the site or £495 million in compensation.

In a desperate attempt, James Howells has even offered to purchase the entire landfill as he remains determined to leave no stone unturned in his quest to retrieve the lost Bitcoin fortune. But this move has drawn criticism, with many questioning the validity of his claims, considering the immense growth in Bitcoin’s value since 2013.

Bitcoin is currently trading at $103,254, with a minor 0.69% decrease. However, its surge since 2013 is remarkable, showcasing the potential for massive gains in the cryptocurrency market.

Newport council rejects James Howells’s plan, citing environmental concerns

Despite James Howell’s increasing efforts, the Newport Council rejected his $12.3 million excavation plan, citing environmental concerns. The plan included offering 10% of the recovered funds to the city council.

However, the council stated that the move could cause serious environmental and health issues and could affect the local residents. With plans to close the site and build a solar power farm, the council is moving forward with its own agenda.

A council spokeswoman stated that the landfill is nearing the end of its life and will be capped within two years. The rejection has left Howells facing another significant setback in his quest to recover his lost Bitcoin fortune.

Soon, in 2024, Howells sued the Newport Council and sought help from the High Court. He claimed intellectual property rights and sued the council for £495 million. However, Judge Keyser dismissed the case on January 9, 2025, stating it had “no realistic prospect of succeeding.”

The council argued they legally possessed the device since it was deposited at the site. Despite this setback, Howells remains determined, willing to buy the entire landfill to search for his lost digital treasure.

LEBUL Production Company to film James Howells’s epic Bitcoin quest

Following his 12 years of quest, James Howell is finally able to tell his story to the world. American production company LEBUL has acquired the rights for a film on Howells’s story.

“Every man and his dog wanted to film this,” stated the 39-year-old British computer scientist.

He added that he received about 200 offers from multiple producers and teams, including from BAFTA and Emmy-winning production companies. However, due to ongoing legal battles and the complexities of retrieving the lost device, he couldn’t commit to their proposal.

“The timing wasn’t really right with the legal battle and some of the proposals weren’t quite right. I had a lot of people get in touch with offers to make documentaries and films about it, but they were sort of mashing it up and making it into something that it wasn’t.”

It is noteworthy that this development coincides with a growing trend: governments worldwide are racing to set up strategic Bitcoin reserves. The latest among them is the Ukrainian government.

MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak has decided to submit a bill before parliament for a Bitcoin Reserve.