- James Howells’ former partner claims she discarded the hard drive containing $716M in Bitcoin at his request, sparking a decade-long saga.
- Howells is suing Newport City Council for refusing to excavate the landfill where the Bitcoin-laden hard drive is believed to be buried.
The decade-long saga of James Howells, the Welsh man who accidentally discarded a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin, has taken another turn. Howells’ former partner, Halfina Eddy-Evans, recently revealed that she was the one who threw away the device—at his request.
Eddy-Evans said she disposed of the hard drive after Howells urged her to clear out unwanted items. “Losing it was not [my] fault,” she explained, as the hard drive’s value was unknown at the time.
Back in 2009 when Howells mined those 800 Bitcoins, Bitcoin was worth less than $1 per token. And that makes the cryptocurrency fortune now worth over $716 million virtually invisible.
A Costly Oversight
The hard drive, containing Bitcoin, ended up in a Newport landfill among 110,000 tons of waste. By the time Howells realized his mistake, Bitcoin’s value had surged, leaving the IT engineer determined to recover the lost fortune.
Howells has since approached Newport City Council multiple times with proposals to excavate the landfill. In 2022, he even offered an $11 million recovery plan, promising 10% of any recovered Bitcoin to the council. However, officials repeatedly declined his requests, citing environmental risks and logistical challenges.
Undeterred, Howells filed a lawsuit against the council, seeking 495 million British pounds (around $647 million) in damages. The council maintains that its environmental license does not permit such excavations.
Lessons in Cryptocurrency Custody
The case underscores the challenges of managing cryptocurrency assets securely. While Eddy-Evans’ actions were unintentional, the incident highlights the risks of inadequate planning and storage for digital assets.
Experts recommend storing cryptocurrency in hardware wallets (“cold wallets”) and keeping private keys and recovery phrases in secure locations. Using encrypted backups or safe deposit boxes can help prevent loss from disposal or theft.
Editorial Note: This news article has been written with assistance from AI. Edited & fact-checked by Harshajit Sarmah.
