The British man who lost Bitcoin worth $780m in the garbage now wants to buy landfill
Owning the site would let him bypass legal battles and finally search for his buried crypto fortune.
James Howells just won’t give up.
After losing the alphanumeric keys to 8,000 Bitcoin in a UK landfill 11 years ago, the computer engineer has tried everything to excavate a hard drive and recover a fortune now worth $780 million.
He sued the municipal government in Newport, Wales, to permit him to sift through more than 350,000 tonnes of rubbish to no avail — last month, a UK court denied his petition.
Now Howells may have only one move left: buying the landfill where his fortune is buried.
The landfill is slated for closure in the Newport council’s 2025-2026 fiscal year, the BBC reported.
If he can acquire the dump, he won’t need permission to search for the device that could restore his lost fortune.
“I would be potentially interested in purchasing the landfill site,” Howells told the BBC, adding that he has already spoken with investment partners. “It is very much on the table.”
Newport council, which previously argued that excavating the landfill would pose environmental risks and disrupt city operations, has yet to comment on the potential sale.
The municipality has already approved plans to convert the site into a solar farm.
Howells has long maintained that a search for the hard drive could be done in an environmentally safe manner.
He even pitched a plan involving AI-driven scanning, industrial robots, and environmental engineers to ensure minimal disruption to the site.
The council never entertained the proposal, leading Howells to take his case to court in 2024 — only to have it dismissed.
Judge Keyser KC ruled that the only relevant legal question was ownership, and since the hard drive was discarded as waste, it legally belonged to the city.
Crypto market movers
- Bitcoin has increased by 1.1% over the past 24 hours and is trading at $97,850.
- Ethereum is down 0.6% over the same period to $2,650.
What we’re reading
- Trump-backed World Liberty Financial is loading up on crypto. Here’s why ― DL News
- Ahead of Debanking Hearings, Industry Is Divided on Political Strategy ― Unchained
- How to invest in AI (successfully)! ― Milk Road
- New stablecoin bill would force Tether to the US. ‘This is a big come to God moment’ ― DL News
Kyle Baird is DL News’ Weekend Editor. Got a tip? Email at kbaird@dlnews.com.
Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
You may also like
New spot margin trading pair — HOLO/USDT!
FUN drops by 32.34% within 24 hours as it faces a steep short-term downturn
- FUN plunged 32.34% in 24 hours to $0.008938, marking a 541.8% monthly loss amid prolonged bearish trends. - Technical breakdowns, elevated selling pressure, and forced liquidations highlight deteriorating market sentiment and risk-off behavior. - Analysts identify key support below $0.0080 as critical, with bearish momentum confirmed by RSI (<30) and MACD indicators. - A trend-following backtest strategy proposes short positions based on technical signals to capitalize on extended downward trajectories.
OPEN has dropped by 189.51% within 24 hours during a significant market pullback
- OPEN's price plummeted 189.51% in 24 hours to $0.8907, marking its largest intraday decline in history. - The token fell 3793.63% over 7 days, matching identical monthly and yearly declines, signaling severe bearish momentum. - Technical analysts cite broken support levels and lack of bullish catalysts as key drivers of the sustained sell-off. - Absence of stabilizing volume or reversal patterns leaves the market vulnerable to further downward pressure.
New spot margin trading pair — LINEA/USDT!
Trending news
MoreCrypto prices
More
