James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, Wales, is fighting a legal and environmental battle to recover a hard drive containing private keys to 8,000 Bitcoin, worth $773 million. The hard drive, mistakenly discarded in 2013, represents one of the largest Bitcoin fortunes tied to the cryptocurrency’s early days.

The Newport City Council has denied Howells access to the landfill, citing environmental concerns. Despite this, Howells has assembled a top-tier legal team, including senior barristers and a King’s Counsel, to argue his case. He is also using advanced AI trained in UK law to identify legal precedents that could support his claim.

If he succeeds, Howells plans to secure the holdings, compensate stakeholders, and reinvest in blockchain projects. He views Bitcoin as “digital gold” and remains committed to the cryptocurrency community, regardless of the outcome of his recovery efforts.