South Wales man’s epic 10-year search for $742 million Bitcoin treasure

For over a decade, an IT professional from South Wales has been trying to recover a staggering $742 million worth of Bitcoin buried in a landfill - a story that has captured global attention for its unique blend of technology, legal battles, and lost fortune.

Back in 2013, IT professional from Newport, South Wales James Howells accidentally threw away a hard drive containing the private keys to his Bitcoin wallet during a routine office cleanup, Caliber.Az reports per Daily Galaxy. 

At the time, his 8,000 Bitcoins were valued at about $8 million—a significant sum, but nothing compared to the cryptocurrency’s meteoric rise in the years that followed. That discarded hard drive, now buried under tons of waste in a Newport landfill, holds a digital fortune many can only dream of.

Realizing the enormity of his mistake as Bitcoin’s value skyrocketed, Howells embarked on a relentless mission to recover the lost treasure. He developed an ambitious plan involving AI-powered drones and robotic systems to safely search the landfill without causing environmental damage, even offering to fund the project himself. However, local authorities denied permission, citing risks like toxic gas release and water contamination, while UK laws added further complications by granting landfill operators ownership of discarded waste.

After years of legal wrangling, a British judge ruled in 2024 that Howells’ efforts had “no realistic prospect” of success, due in part to the hard drive’s deteriorated condition and legal time limits on claims. Despite the official end of his quest, Howells’ story lives on.

A Los Angeles-based production company, LEBUL, has acquired rights to tell his tale in a docuseries, podcast, and short-form content titled “The Buried Bitcoin: The Real-Life Treasure Hunt of James Howells,” set for release in late 2025. Howells remains hopeful, saying, “This is the first time I’ve been able to show the world exactly what we want to do at the landfill site,” and declares, “I’m not giving up the fight.”

By Naila Huseynova