My Fight for Justice: Determined to Retrieve My £620 Million in Bitcoin

It has been more than a decade since James Howells’ hard drive, containing a substantial amount of Bitcoin worth hundreds of millions of pounds today, ended up on a landfill site. Despite numerous setbacks and challenges, he remains steadfast in his mission to retrieve it.

“This is my job; you might say it’s my 9 to 5,” Howells declared. He added that while other pursuits with cryptocurrencies continue, the current value of Bitcoin makes focusing on this endeavor “absolutely sensible.”

According to Mr. Howells, his ex-partner mistakenly disposed of the hard drive in 2013, which ended up at a tip owned by Newport City Council. Last month, a High Court judge dismissed his efforts to access the landfill or receive £495m in compensation, ruling there were no “reasonable grounds” for his claim and little chance of success during a full trial.

Undeterred, Howells plans to file an appeal at the Court of Appeal. He is also considering buying the site before it closes in 2025-26 due to Newport council’s planned closure. The council has not commented further on the matter.

“I’m one of the first people in the UK to adopt Bitcoin,” Howells explained, adding that he mined Bitcoin as early as 2009 when its value was much lower than today’s levels. After organizing a team for recovery efforts and offering shares of recovered Bitcoins to gain council approval, his attempts at legal action faced setbacks.

The Court of Appeal case will likely center on the council’s plans to close the landfill site, which Howells argues should have been disclosed during the High Court trial. He believes this information could strengthen his claim that buying and fully excavating the site would be more efficient than attempting recovery while it remains operational.

Howells is also pursuing an option of acquiring funding from investors in Middle Eastern and American markets, contingent on the council’s willingness to sell the site. However, as part of its closure plan, Newport City Council has already obtained planning permission for a solar farm on part of the land.

“Anything that was put into that site is still there,” Howells asserted after researching with landfill officials. “Where else could it be?” he asked, emphasizing his resolve to continue efforts to recover the Bitcoin fortune lost in what he sees as the final battle from this Braveheart-like saga.