Wales Man Loses Appeal to Dig Out Hard Drive Holding $676 Million in Bitcoin

The UK Court of Appeals has rejected a Wales man’s request to excavate a landfill where he believes his hard drive holding $676 million in Bitcoin was dumped more than a decade ago. 

James Howells posted Friday on Linkedin a screenshot of the appeals court’s ruling, which is final. The software engineer, who mined the lost Bitcoin in 2009, has waged a long legal battle to gain access to the landfill where he believes his tokens may be buried, and he has even considered purchasing the waste site. 

But having exhausted all his options for legal recourse through the U.K. court system, Howells now plans to bring his case to the European Courts of Human Rights. 

“The Great British Injustice System strikes again… Moral of the Story: The state always protects the state,” Howells wrote in his Linkedin post. “Next stop: ECHR.” 

Howells lost his hard drive containing the keys to 8,000 Bitcoin in 2013, when his former partner tossed out the device. Bitcoin’s price peaked that year at roughly $1,130, CoinGecko data shows. 

Since then, the value of those tossed tokens has grown astronomically, however. Bitcoin was trading at $84,500 as of publication time, or more than 7000% higher than its highest price in 2013. 

Howells is one of many early Bitcoin believers whose holdings have grown to be worth a life-changing fortune. But his case also underscores a common reality for many crypto holders—the difficulties of custodying one’s own cryptocurrencies. 

In a letter to Howells, Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Nugee of the U.K. Court of Appeals said he rejected the Bitcoin holder’s appeal because it did not have “any real prospect of success.” 

Howells refuted the judge’s argument in a Friday statement, which he shared with Decrypt. 

“The British establishment wants to sweep this under the carpet, and I will not let them,” he said. “It will not go away—no matter how long it takes!”

Although Howells implied he has a lot of time to fight his case, time to dig up his hard drive is running out. 

A local council that oversees the Welsh landfill is expected to shutter the site, which is nearing maximum capacity, in the 2025-26 financial year, the council’s draft budget shows.