A UK woman has admitted to unwillingly throwing away a hard drive that contained the key to her ex-boyfriend’s Bitcoin fortune. The total cost of those Bitcon now worth’s around a staggering amount of Rs 5,900 crore (569 million pounds). The hard drive, which was tossed into a landfill nearly a decade ago, holds the digital key to the 8,000 Bitcoins mined by James Howells in 2009, a fortune he had forgotten about until much later.
Halfina Eddy-Evans, who is the mother of Howells’ two teenage sons, explained to Daily Mail that the hard drive was discarded during a clean-up she carried out at Howells’ request. She said, “Yes, I threw away his rubbish. He asked me to,” Eddy-Evans said, adding that she had no idea what was inside and losing it wasn’t her fault.
The Bitcoin, which Howells mined in the early days of the cryptocurrency boom, was later found to have become worth billions. However, the hard drive containing access to these Bitcoins was lost. Furthermore it is now buried deep under the 100,000 tonnes of waste in a Newport landfill in Wales. Also, the hard drive remains inaccessible despite its growing value.
Howells has spent years attempting to retrieve the lost fortune. She is now suing Newport City Council for Rs 4,900 crore (495 million pounds). She is also accusing them of blocking his attempts to excavate the landfill. “This treasure hunt isn’t going away,” Howells told Fortune. “The value grows every day.”
Read More: Storm Bert Set To Bring Severe Weather To The UK: Warnings Issued
Despite the increasing worth of the Bitcoin, Newport City Council has repeatedly denied Howells’ requests to access the landfill. However the citing environmental concerns are causing limitations on their excavation permit. A spokesperson for the council stated, “Excavation is not possible under our environmental permit, and such work would have a huge negative impact on the area.”
Eddy-Evans now has no longer any involvement with Howells. Furthermore she has also insisted that if the hard drive is found, she wants no part of the fortune. She gave a statement saying, “I hope he finds it, not that I want a penny. I just want him to stop talking about it,” she said, acknowledging the strain the situation has placed on Howells’ mental health.
Howells has also vowed that if he successfully recovers the hard drive, he will donate 10% of the fortune to transform Newport into a thriving city, envisioning it as the “Dubai or Las Vegas of the UK.” For now, his legal battle with the city continues, with a court hearing scheduled for early December.
