Wales Man’s Appeal Denied in Attempt to Retrieve Hard Drive Containing $676 Million in Bitcoin

The Court of Appeals in the UK has denied a man from Wales the opportunity to excavate a landfill where he believes his hard drive, containing $676 million in Bitcoin, was disposed of over ten years ago.

James Howells shared a screenshot of the court’s final ruling on LinkedIn on Friday. The software engineer mined the lost Bitcoin back in 2009 and has fought a lengthy legal battle to access the landfill where he suspects his assets may be located, even contemplating the purchase of the waste site.

With all legal avenues exhausted within the UK court system, Howells now intends to take his case to the European Court of Human Rights.

“The Great British Injustice System strikes again… The moral of the story: The state always protects the state,” Howells stated in his LinkedIn post. “Next stop: ECHR.”

Howells lost his hard drive with the keys to 8,000 Bitcoin in 2013 after his ex-partner discarded it. That year, Bitcoin’s value peaked at approximately $1,130, according to CoinGecko data.

Since then, the worth of those discarded tokens has skyrocketed; Bitcoin was trading at $84,500 at the time of this publication—over 7000% higher than its peak in 2013.

Howells represents numerous early Bitcoin enthusiasts whose holdings have escalated into significant fortunes. His case also highlights the common challenges faced by many cryptocurrency holders regarding the custody of their assets.

In a letter, Rt. Hon. Lord Justice Nugee of the UK Court of Appeals noted that he dismissed Howells’ appeal due to its lack of “any real prospect of success.”

Howells countered the judge’s reasoning in a statement shared with Decrypt on Friday.

“The British establishment wants to sweep this under the carpet, and I will not allow that,” he asserted. “This issue will not fade away—regardless of how long it takes!”

While Howells seems to suggest he has ample time to pursue his case, the urgency to locate his hard drive is increasing.

A local council managing the Welsh landfill plans to close the site, which is approaching maximum capacity, during the 2025-26 financial year, as outlined in the council’s draft budget.