James Howells and His Billionth Hard Drive: The Story That Shook the Cryptocurrency World

The story of the lost fortune associated with James Howells has long been a legend in the cryptocurrency community. It wasn’t just money that was at stake, but one of the most costly mistakes in the history of digital assets: a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins, which are worth hundreds of millions of dollars today. But this story is not only about technical miscalculations. This is a story about guilt, reproaches and the struggle of one man against the bureaucratic system.

From hobby to fortune: how eight thousand bitcoins ended up in a landfill

It all started in 2009 when a young James Howells, driven by simple curiosity, decided to experiment with Bitcoin mining. For him, it was nothing more than technical entertainment—a way to play with new computer technology. His laptop worked for the benefit of the blockchain for ten whole weeks, generating cryptocurrency with the same inexperience that a young enthusiast could guess about the future value of his digital treasure.

However, the short journey into mining was soon interrupted. His ex-girlfriend, Khalfina Eddie-Evans, complained about the annoying noise made by the fan of an overheating laptop that prevented her from sleeping. Howells dutifully turned off the equipment. But the trouble came unexpectedly - on another occasion, he absentmindedly spilled a glass of lemonade right on the laptop lying in front of him, and it, like a poorly protected lock, succumbed to destruction.

Realizing that the computer was hopelessly damaged, James Howells tried to save what was possible. He transferred his personal files—photos, music, documents—to his new computer. But there was a catch: the private key of his bitcoin wallet remained locked on a faulty drive. Compatibility issues with Apple’s operating system made it impossible to extract this critical code. Seeing no way to recover, Howells simply threw the hard drive in the trash next to his desk, where it lay unnoticed for years.

The Voice of a Forgotten Accomplice: What Howells’ Ex-Girlfriend Says

In 2013, during a routine household cleaning, James Howells asked Eddie-Evans to help him get rid of the accumulated old things. She agreed without much enthusiasm, seeing it as another assignment he was giving her. Armed with several bags of garbage, including the same hard drive, Eddie-Evans took them to a local landfill. She had no idea what she was carrying in her hands.

“I thought it was just another errand he was imposing on me,” she said in a recent interview. “I didn’t know it was bitcoin or anything of value. He told me to take it to the landfill, so I took it.”

Interestingly, Eddie-Evans herself now bears the burden of responsibility for the disposal, which she performed at the request of James Howells. People on the Internet regularly reproach her for allowing the condition to disappear. “Everyone seems to think it’s my fault,” she says with obvious irritation. “People mention me on social media, asking why I threw it away. But it was not my decision. He asked me to do it.”

She also shared that James Howells’ obsession with hard drive seriously damaged their relationship. Due to the rising value of Bitcoin, Howells realized what a treasure he had thrown away. “He didn’t stop talking about it,” she recalls. This concern became more and more intense, poisoning the atmosphere between them. They have teenage sons, but the relationship has almost fallen apart under the weight of this financial nightmare.

The legal war between James Howells and the Newport authorities

Fast forward to the present. Bitcoins that were once mined for pennies are now valued at tens of thousands of dollars per unit. A hard drive lying somewhere deep in the Newport landfill is theoretically worth hundreds of millions of dollars — a figure that will grow with every spike in the cryptocurrency’s rate.

Desperate James Howells has been fighting for years with the Newport City Council, which owns and operates this landfill. The Council repeatedly rejected his requests for permission to excavate. The problem is in scale: the landfill contains more than 1.4 million tons of waste. Howells claims to have narrowed the search to 100,000 tons, but the advice remains adamant.

Authorities cite serious environmental risks and logistical difficulties. Excavations of this scale, they say, will cause great harm to the environment and violate the existing permits for the operation of the landfill. “We have repeatedly told Mr. Howells that this work is impossible,” a spokesman for the council said. “This will create huge negative environmental damage.”

The tireless James Howells brought the conflict to court. He recently filed a $620 million damages lawsuit, accusing the council of illegally holding his property. The first court hearing was scheduled for December, where the Newport City Council intends to seek dismissal of the claims. “This is my property, and I have every right to return it,” Howells insists. “Their refusal to let me dig is outrageous.”

Chasing the Money: The Psychological Cost of Obsession

For Eddie-Evans, the consequences were debilitating. James Howells’ obsession with the hard drive not only destroyed their personal relationship, but also affected their family. She believes that this fixation on lost wealth is causing serious damage to his mental health.

“Part of me hopes he finds it,” she says, “but not because money is important to me. I don’t want a penny. Maybe then he will calm down.” She even admits, “Part of me thinks the council should just let him dig it out. It doesn’t help him to continue this obsession.”

Eddie-Evans also shared that if she had known at that moment what was in a garbage bag, she would never have thrown it away. “Of course, I would keep it,” she said. “But then it was just garbage for me.”

Meanwhile, James Howells continues to refer to his quest as a “treasure hunt” that is becoming increasingly intense. If bitcoin prices continue to rise, the value of his lost treasure could exceed a billion dollars. Howells promised to use part of the restored fortune for the benefit of Newport, offering 10% of the proceeds to turn the city into a British version of Dubai or Las Vegas. However, Eddie-Evans is skeptical about these ambitious plans.

The treasure remains buried - both literally in the ground of the landfill, and for judicial reasons. Newport City Council shows no signs of acquiescence, and James Howells’ legal battles could drag on for years. For Eddie-Evans, the story has already dragged on for too long. “I’m tired of hearing about it,” she concluded. “This whole story has been going on for a long time.”