A decade-long search for a lost hard drive holding 8,000 Bitcoin has taken a new turn. James Howells, a UK man who accidentally discarded the drive in 2013, is now considering purchasing the landfill where it was dumped, the BBC reported.

His legal battle to gain access to the site failed, but he isn’t giving up on recovering his fortune, now worth $784 million. Howells claims his ex-girlfriend mistakenly threw out the hard drive, which ended up in Newport’s Docks Way landfill.

Landfill Purchase After Legal Defeat

Over the years, he repeatedly asked Newport Council for permission to conduct a search but was largely ignored. With Bitcoin’s value surging, his determination to retrieve the lost cryptocurrency has only grown stronger.

Earlier this year, Howells attempted to sue NewportCouncil for $646 million, the peak valuation of the bitcoin in early 2024, arguing that their refusal to let him excavate the site had cost him a fortune. However, a judge dismissed his case in January.

Facing legal roadblocks, he has now turned to investors with the idea of purchasing the landfill outright. Even if Howells manages to secure funding, time is not on his side.

Final Hope for Lost Bitcoins

The council plans to shut down the landfill in the coming financial year and has already received approval to develop a solar power farm on the land. This could make any future excavation attempts even more challenging.

Whether he succeeds in reclaiming his lost fortune or not, his decade-long pursuit of 8,000 Bitcoins remains one of the most intriguing lost treasure stories of the crypto era.

Searching through the landfill is a monumental task. According to the BBC, the landfill holds more than 1.4 million tonnes of waste, and Howells estimates the hard drive is buried within 100,000 tonnes of it.

This article was written by Jared Kirui at www.financemagnates.com.TrendingRead More

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