James Howells, the man who has been in search of his lost Bitcoin worth over $784 million since 2013 is seeking to buy a landfill.

Howell claims to have mistakenly discarded a hard drive that contained 8,000 BTC and is seeking to buy the landfill site where he lost it in an attempt to recover his fortune.

The man filed a lawsuit in a bid to have the Newport Council dig up the landfill to try and find the lost Bitcoin. In over 10 years Newport Council has made no attempts to try to recover the discarded Bitcoin.

The quest for the lost BTC

Howells reported that his fiancé discarded the hard drive containing cryptocurrency estimated to have a market value of $784 million in the landfill site in 2013. In an attempt to get his crypto assets back, Howells wants to buy the landfill site.

BBC recently reported that Howells has approached various investors with a bid to potentially buy the whole landfill site.

Since 2013, Howells claims that Newport City Council have disregarded his plea to be allowed to search for his fortune. Earlier today, it was reported that the UK landfill site containing the lost Bitcoin hard drive is set to close.

The city council announced plans to have the landfill site converted to a solar farm on the site after acquiring planning permission last August.

Howells had filed a lawsuit against the council seeking legal grounds to hunt for the Bitcoin. In January, a high court judge made a ruling dismissing the case that required Newport council to forcefully allow Howells to search for his Bitcoin.

Judge Keyser KC, the Circuit Commercial Judge for Wales, said there are no “reasonable grounds” for succeeding at a full trial.

James Howells threw away $750 million of bitcoin accidentally a decade ago and has been trying to recover the hard drive from a landfill ever since. Today, a judge has rejected his latest attempt to search through 110,000 tons of garbage for his digital gold. pic.twitter.com/douIDzDdQO

— Documenting ₿itcoin 📄 (@DocumentingBTC) January 11, 2025

During the hearing, Howells noted that Newport council claimed that granting him a search warrant would have detrimental effects on the people around Newport. Plans to close the landfill were also underway, and that would be soon.

After failed attempts to have the council retrieve the hard drive worth millions for him, Howells offered to buy the whole landfill.

“I have discussed this option recently with investment partners and it is very much on the table,” he said, according to the BBC.

The post UK man looks to buy landfill site amid search for $784m lost Bitcoin appeared first on CoinJournal.

UK man looks to buy landfill site amid search for $784m lost Bitcoin

Source: https://coinjournal.net/news/uk-man-looks-to-buy-landfill-site-amid-search-for-784m-lost-bitcoin/

A UK landfill site where a man lost his hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin is reportedly set to close in the 2025-26 financial year.

The site, in Newport, Wales, “has been in exploitation since the early 2000s and is coming to the end of its life, therefore the council is working on a planned closure and capping of the site over the next two years,” said a council spokesperson.

According to the BBC, a solar farm will be built on part of the site after it received planning permission last August.

Lost battle

In January, James Howells lost his court battle against Newport City Council to recover his lost hard drive. In 2013, his former partner mistakenly threw it out in a black bin bag.  Judge Keyser KC, the Circuit Commercial Judge for Wales, dismissed Howells’ case. At the time, Keyser stated there were no “reasonable grounds” for succeeding at a full trial.

Over the last 12 years, Howells tried to engage with Newport City Council to recover his lost hard drive, but was “largely ignored.”

At the time of his loss, his assets – that he mined in 2009 – were worth around $1.3 million. Today, they would be valued at over $780 million.

The post Bitcoin hard drive containing $780m lost forever as UK landfill site is set to close appeared first on CoinJournal.

Bitcoin hard drive containing $780m lost forever as UK landfill site is set to close

Source: https://coinjournal.net/news/bitcoin-hard-drive-containing-780m-lost-forever-as-uk-landfill-site-is-set-to-close/