BRUH! British Man Lost His Last Chance To Retrieve $750M Bitcoin Hard Drive

James Howell, a British IT professional has reached what may be the final roadblock in his quest to recover a hard drive containing $732 million in Bitcoin.

James Howells, a British IT professional, has reached what may be the final roadblock in his quest to retrieve a hard drive containing the key to $750 million in Bitcoin.

A British court ruled that Howells’ plan to recover the drive from a land waste site has “no realistic prospect” of success. The IT professional has been on a legal journey to gain access to the municipal landfill in Newport. The $750 million drive has been buried there under tons of trash for 12 years, the BBC reported.

The story of Howells’ lost Bitcoin fortune started in 2013. He was an early adopter of the nascent cryptocurrency invention. His accumulation began when Bitcoin was worth little. The key to his Bitcoin portfolio was housed on an individual hard drive in his home. Subsequently, the drive was discarded by his ex-partner during a cleaning session. At the time, he held over 8,000 Bitcoin. Today, those coins are worth approximately $750 million.

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

Since that day, Howells has been on a quest to retrieve the drive. The determined digital millionaire created a proposal to search miles of landfill to retrieve the item. Howell’s plan would involve a self-funded exploration using drones and robotic excavation systems. He also pledged to donate a percentage of any recovered funds to the Newport City Council.

Unfortunately, the project’s scope was far too extensive. The Newport City Council rejected his initial proposal and subsequent appeals. According to the council, UK Waste Management law grants the landfill rights to any property deposited on site.

The 2025 decision of the courts appears to be the end of the road for Howells, although he can still attempt to pursue the case in the European Court of Human Rights. The court stated that over a decade of exposure to the elements in a landfill would, in all probability, render the hard drive useless.

Despite being defeated in court, Howells is making lemonade out of his sour tale. LEBUL, A Los Angeles-based production company, secured the rights to the story. The company plans to present Howells’ tale in multiple media: docuseries, podcast, and short-form content titled The Buried Bitcoin: The Real-Life Treasure Hunt of James Howells.

“It will follow the live treasure hunt if you will, because even though the court has said no to me, I’m not giving up the fight,” Howells said to the BBC.