IT Expert's Decade-Long Bitcoin Battle Ends in Frustration

An IT expert has lost his decade-long legal battle to recover a hard drive containing €700 million worth of bitcoin, which is buried in a Newport landfill.

39-year-old James Howells had been trying to get permission to excavate the site where the drive was discarded in 2013, but a judge has now ruled against him.

Judge Keyser KC declared on Thursday that Howells’ claim ‘had no realistic prospect of succeeding’ and dismissed it outright.

Newport City Council successfully argued that the hard drive legally became its property once it entered the landfill, further citing environmental regulations that prohibit excavation.

“The council’s argument provides a complete answer to the claim,” the judge said, leaving Howells with little legal recourse.

Howells’ ordeal began nearly a decade ago when he accidentally threw away the hard drive containing his bitcoin wallet during an office clear-out. The drive ended up in a black rubbish bag, which his partner mistakenly took to the local dump.

Despite realising his error soon after, his repeated requests to retrieve the hard drive have been denied. Howells had even offered to split the potential profits with the council, proposing an environmentally safe and precise excavation plan led by expert contractors.

However, Newport City Council refused, citing property rights and ecological concerns.

Speaking on behalf of the council, James Goudie KC argued that the environmental permits governing the landfill prevent such recovery operations.

For Howells, the stakes couldn’t be higher. The bitcoin, now estimated to be worth over €1 billion, remains tantalisingly out of reach. Despite this latest setback, he has vowed to continue his fight, with plans to appeal the decision and potentially escalate the case to the Supreme Court.

“It’s not just a needle in a haystack—it’s a needle I know exactly where to find,” Howells said in frustration. His journey serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of digital wealth, where a single misstep can lead to unimaginable losses.