James Howells lost his Bitcoin wallet in 2013 when his then-partner threw it out mistaking it for rubbish – since then he’s been battling Newport City Council for access to the landfill where he believes it ended up
A dad who has been searching for a hard drive with £635million worth of Bitcoin thrown away by his ex has suffered a new blow after learning the landfill site he’s been trying to search is set to close.
James Howells has been on a quest for over a decade to trace the device, which was storing 8,000 Bitcoins, after it was accidentally tossed out in 2013. The dad-of-three has pleaded with his local council for the chance to scour the Docks Way site in Newport, Wales, where he believes it may have ended up.
But despite the IT worker’s desperate 12-year battle – even taking Newport City Council to court requesting compensation – his pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Now it’s been announced part of the site is to be shut down and turned into a solar farm.
A judge at Cardiff Civil Justice centre threw out dad-of-three Mr Howells’ case last month due to unrealistic prospects of locating the drive, despite his claims the money “could do so much good for the area”. The computer engineer accused the authority of living in the “dark ages”, saying: “Newport could have looked like Las Vegas or Dubai if they had the foresight to engage but they did not understand cryptocurrency and have refused to learn.”
Mr Howells’ legal action was funded by an American hedge fund, having put together a legal team to take on the council and demand access to the site. He claimed the hard drive had been left inside a black bag in the hallway of his home when his partner at the time mistook it for rubbish, throwing it away.
Judge Keyser however concluded: “I also consider that the claim would have no realistic prospect of succeeding if it went to trial and that there is no other compelling reason why it should be disposed of at trial. There will be judgement for the defendant and the claim will be dismissed.'”
Newport City Council meanwhile has said it has been contacted “multiple times” since 2013 about the search for the device. In a previous statement, a spokesperson said: “The council has told Mr. Howells multiple times that excavation is not possible under our environmental permit, and that work of that nature would have a huge negative environmental impact on the surrounding area.
“The council is the only body authorised to carry out operations on the site. Mr. Howells’s claim has no merit, and the council is vigorously resisting it.” The council added: “The landfill 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.”
The value of Mr Howells’ Bitcoin rose substantially in 2024, and he believes the wallet’s value could even reach £1billion. “It is what it is,” he said. “I could spend the rest of my life working nine-to-five and thinking about it every day. I might as well spend my time trying to recover this simple piece of metal.
“Until the courts tells me ‘N-O spells no’, I’m going to keep going. Obviously my finances are not in the best position at the moment.
“I’m focusing all my current efforts and resources, including money, on the recovery project. I struggle along in the meantime. But the legal effort is covered. We’re willing to go all the way to the appeals court, the Supreme Court. With a case of this magnitude I’m expecting to go the full distance. I didn’t really want to go to court but this is the final shot.”
Having started getting involved in cryptocurrency in its infancy in 2009, Mr Howells has said he would stop at nothing to trace the hard drive. He previously told WalesOnline he wanted to “give money to the people in Newport” and “make Newport a crypto Mecca for future generations”.