James Howells has sued the Newport City Council for $647 million in an attempt to recover a hard drive containing lost Bitcoin.

Bitcoin Hidden in Trash

For more than ten years, James Howells has tried to communicate with the council without success. The recent lawsuit was filed due to the council largely ignoring his previous communications. Howells seeks to investigate 100,000 tons of waste and has agreed to fund the team that would conduct this search. The item of interest in the trash would be the hard drive containing his hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Bitcoin, which he would share 10% of with the council for their efforts once the hard drive is found. However, he has not received the response he desired.

Why Can’t the Bitcoin Be Retrieved?

The council rejected the search proposal due to environmental concerns. A council spokesperson stated, "Our council has repeatedly informed Mr. Howells that the investigation is not possible under our environmental permits, and such activities could have significant negative impacts on the environment." Howells’ team indicated that 80% of the Bitcoin could be recovered if the hard drive is located. However, the council’s environmental concerns remain the biggest obstacle to the case.

Struggle to Recover the Bitcoin

Howells’ decade-long struggle to recover his Bitcoin has been amplified by the increasing value of Bitcoin. Despite the excavation of the area where the hard drive is suspected to be located being deemed environmentally hazardous by the council, Howells continues to plead and finds the council's decision unjust. Ultimately, the man searching for hundreds of millions of dollars worth of BTC in the trash is now playing his last legal cards.

Unless a significant surprise occurs, the hard drive may remain lost indefinitely due to environmental impacts and funding issues. This incident would undoubtedly disturb anyone who experiences it.