Act I: A Mistake Buried in Trash

In the summer of 2013, James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, Wales, made what would become one of the most infamous mistakes in crypto history.

While cleaning his office, Howells accidentally threw away the wrong hard drive. One contained old family photos. The other? The private keys to 8,000 Bitcoins — mined back in 2009, when Bitcoin was worth mere pennies. By 2013, the stash was worth a few million. By 2021, it was over $500 million. And by early 2025? More than $700 million.

The hard drive didn’t end up in a drawer or attic. It went to the Docksway landfill — a vast garbage dump under the control of the Newport City Council.

Act II: The Fight to Dig

As the value of Bitcoin skyrocketed over the years, Howells refused to accept defeat.

He formed teams of data recovery specialists, environmental engineers, AI experts, and even robotics professionals to help scan the site. He built out a multi-million-dollar excavation plan backed by investors. He promised a share of the recovered wealth to the city, to environmental charities, and to local causes.

But despite his ambition, Newport Council repeatedly blocked his requests to dig.

Their reasons?