Lost Bitcoin fortune: Engineer’s mission to reclaim $780 million from Welsh landfill

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

James Howells has faced a Sisyphean battle, chasing a fortune buried in a Welsh landfill. The Newport-based computer engineer’s misplaced hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins — now worth around $780 million, lost in 2013, has become the symbol of his tireless quest to reclaim his wealth.

The saga began in 2013 when Howells’ former partner mistakenly discarded the hard drive containing the cryptocurrency, which he had mined years earlier. The drive was buried under what is now more than 1.4 million tonnes of waste at the Docks Way landfill in Newport, Wales. Howells' efforts to retrieve the drive from the landfill have been met with resistance.

For years, Howells has fought for permission to excavate the site, but Newport City Council has repeatedly rejected his requests, citing environmental and logistical concerns. His latest legal attempt—a High Court case seeking either access to the landfill or £495 million ($620 million) in compensation—was dismissed last month. A judge ruled that the claim had no realistic prospect of success, as too much time had passed between the loss of the hard drive and Howells’ legal action.

However, Howells is undeterred. Now, with the value of Bitcoin soaring in recent months, he’s doubling down on his