Bitcoin ditcher in court: Precise search demanded at landfill site

They would theoretically be worth around 734 million euros, the 8,000 bitcoins that Welshman James Howells would like to recover. Unfortunately, his girlfriend at the time mistakenly threw away the bag containing the hard disk on which the Bitcoin keys were supposedly stored in 2013. Since then, the man has been trying to get permission to retrieve the hard drive from the landfill. So far without success.

The Welsh city of Cardiff, operator of the landfill site, doesn't want to know anything about it. The environmental license would not allow the digging, it says. Moreover, such an action would have a considerable negative impact on the surrounding area. As The Guardian reports, Howells has now tried again.

At the Cardiff Civil and Family Law Court, he referred to the expertise of the former manager of the landfill site. With his help, he was able to limit the part of the garbage dump to be exhumed to a comparatively small area. The excavation would therefore not be as extensive as initially intended.

The combined use of robot dogs, human helpers and an AI-supported sorting machine that could recognize a hard drive on a conveyor belt should lead to success. The project is to be paid for with eleven million dollars in venture capital, for which commitments have already been made. The plaintiff is supported by data recovery specialists and lawyers who have taken on the case free of charge.

Cardiff not amused

The city is trying to have the case dismissed at an early stage in order to avoid a full trial in the High Court. Their best argument is that what ends up in the bin becomes the property of the city. Howells could therefore not assert any claims.

But without Howells' passwords, Cardiff has – if anything – only an old, badly damaged hard disk. The man offers to share the alleged treasure with the council. But the council obviously doesn't trust the deal. Even half of the Bitcoin treasure would help the city's finances.

(ds)