Man aims to purchase dumpsite for quest for Bitcoin treasure
A hard drive purportedly holding 8,000 crypto coins was supposedly discarded at a landfill in Wales more than ten years ago. Read Full Article at RT.com
TroibNews 
A Welsh man is attempting to purchase a local landfill in order to search for a hard drive that he believes contains a multi-million-dollar Bitcoin fortune, allegedly buried there over a decade ago. Computer engineer James Howells lost a High Court case against Newport City Council last month, which denied him the right to excavate the site.
The hard drive went missing in 2013 when his then-partner inadvertently discarded it during an office cleanup. This drive housed Howells’ Bitcoin wallet, which contained 8,000 coins. That year, Bitcoin's value surged dramatically, with the worth of the hard drive's contents increasing from about $106,400 in January to over $9 million by December, spurring Howells to pursue recovery of the device. As of now, the value of the tokens thought to be buried is over $775 million.
Newport City Council has repeatedly turned down Howells’ requests to excavate, citing concerns for the environment and legal restrictions. The council noted that the landfill is approaching the end of its operational life and plans to cap it during the 2025-26 financial year, with intentions to develop a solar farm on part of the land. Additionally, the council maintains that the hard drive became their property once it was disposed of in the landfill, a stance supported by the court.
In a statement released on Monday by several British news outlets, Howells, 39, expressed his “potential” interest in acquiring the landfill site and mentioned having discussed this option with investment partners. Last month, he also submitted an appeal to the Royal Court of Appeal in London.
The landfill in question contains over 1.4 million tonnes of waste. In a 2021 interview, Howells expressed his belief that, despite nearly ten years spent buried under layers of soil and other refuse, the hard drive could still be usable due to its anti-corrosive features. However, the judge stated there was “no realistic prospect” of Howells succeeding at trial.
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
The hard drive went missing in 2013 when his then-partner inadvertently discarded it during an office cleanup. This drive housed Howells’ Bitcoin wallet, which contained 8,000 coins. That year, Bitcoin's value surged dramatically, with the worth of the hard drive's contents increasing from about $106,400 in January to over $9 million by December, spurring Howells to pursue recovery of the device. As of now, the value of the tokens thought to be buried is over $775 million.
Newport City Council has repeatedly turned down Howells’ requests to excavate, citing concerns for the environment and legal restrictions. The council noted that the landfill is approaching the end of its operational life and plans to cap it during the 2025-26 financial year, with intentions to develop a solar farm on part of the land. Additionally, the council maintains that the hard drive became their property once it was disposed of in the landfill, a stance supported by the court.
In a statement released on Monday by several British news outlets, Howells, 39, expressed his “potential” interest in acquiring the landfill site and mentioned having discussed this option with investment partners. Last month, he also submitted an appeal to the Royal Court of Appeal in London.
The landfill in question contains over 1.4 million tonnes of waste. In a 2021 interview, Howells expressed his belief that, despite nearly ten years spent buried under layers of soil and other refuse, the hard drive could still be usable due to its anti-corrosive features. However, the judge stated there was “no realistic prospect” of Howells succeeding at trial.
Max Fischer contributed to this report for TROIB News
