A legal battle has arisen as James Howells, who mined 8,000 Bitcoins in 2009, is attempting to recover a fortune worth around £569 million that is buried in a landfill in Wales.

Howells has filed a £495 million lawsuit against Newport City Council in order to gain permission to excavate the site, which contains over 1.4 million tonnes of waste.

The case has gained attention due to revelations from Halfina Eddy-Evans, Howells' former partner, who admitted to disposing of the hard drive containing the Bitcoins at his request during a household cleanup. Eddy-Evans claimed that she believed the hard drive was worthless and had no knowledge of its contents when she got rid of it.

This incident highlights the ongoing challenges and complexities surrounding the recovery of digital assets, as Howells continues his decade-long quest to reclaim what could potentially be one of the largest fortunes lost in the early days of cryptocurrency.