British man seeks 8,000 bitcoins his girlfriend threw away

A computer expert from the UK, James Howells, has approached a Welsh court to obtain permission to search for Bitcoins in a landfill in Newport. This was reported by The Guardian.

Man claims that in the summer of 2013, he placed a hard drive with his Bitcoin wallet in a black bag and left it in the hallway of his home. His girlfriend thought it was garbage and threw it into a dumpster, which was later picked up by waste collectors. Howells contacted the Newport City Council for assistance in locating the drive and even promised a reward to the authorities. However, the city management denied his request.

Howells has since taken his pleas to civil court. Based on the current Bitcoin value, there are now 800 million dollars in the landfill. The man's legal team argues that it is not too late to start searching for the Bitcoins, but the city council does not allow excavations.

Previously, US President Donald Trump congratulated the crypto community on Bitcoin reaching the milestone of $100,000.