A Heartbreak High star who has pleaded guilty to the commercial supply of cocaine planned to move to Bali permanently before being arrested in the Byron Bay hinterland.
Putu Winchester-Stanton, who police say was a ringleader of a drug syndicate, admitted to selling cocaine in NSW’s Northern Rivers district in February and will hear sentencing on Monday.
The 46-year-old, who has a history of drug-related affairs, was considered a flight risk after he was arrested at his home in Mullumbimby and taken to Tweed Heads police station.
A Heartbreak High star who pleaded guilty to commercial cocaine supply planned to move to Bali before his arrest. Putu Winchester-Stanton admitted to selling cocaine in NSW’s Northern Rivers district and will hear sentencing Monday
At the time, the heavily tattooed surfer owned a Byron Bay clothing store called Tito’s TT Bar, which was closed for renovations.
“The investigation has revealed that Winchester-Stanton plans to travel to Hawaii and then move to Bali in July 2021 for permanent residence,” the court documents read.
“The suspect has been charged with significant drug supply offenses punishable by imprisonment. Police believe the suspect poses a significant flight risk.
Investigators have determined that the accused has access to offshore funds and business interests abroad. Police believe the suspect is able to use this money to leave Australia if he is released on bail.
“Police allege that the suspect is a syndicate leader and has directed this group to supply cocaine on a large scale for financial gain. The suspect has a history of drug-related affairs.’
Winchester-Stanton then spent three months in custody before being released on bail on July 23, 2021. The maximum penalty for commercial supply of cocaine is 20 years in prison.
According to a Statement of Facts filed with Downing Center District Court in Sydney, Winchester-Stanton (above) was considered a flight risk when he was arrested in Mullumbimby and taken to Tweed Heads Police Station
Winchester-Stanton was born in the back of a three-wheeled bemo taxi in Bali on New Year’s Eve 1976. Putu – pronounced ‘poo-too’ – means firstborn.
His big entertainment break came when he accompanied his mother, also an actor, to an audition for Heartbreak High at the age of 18 and was offered a part.
Winchester-Stanton starred in 75 episodes of the show set in a co-ed Sydney high school, playing lovable class clown Dennis Klinsmann from 1997 to 1999.
He once said that he became a “party animal” during Heartbreak High as a teenage heartthrob.
“If you’re young and impressionable and taken by the hand into the world of television and being a pseudo-celebrity, cocaine very much goes hand in hand with that,” he told a newspaper in July 2021.
When that show was canceled, Winchester-Stanton moved to Byron Bay permanently, having once stated that he was drawn to the “easy r**ts” and the chance to be a “big fish in a small pond.” .
Winchester-Stanton starred in 75 episodes of Heartbreak High, playing sympathetic clown Dennis Klinsmann (above) at a co-educational school in Sydney from 1997 to 1999
Winchester-Stanton also had roles in Home and Away – appearing as a surfer named Pogo – and Water Rats, both in 2000.
In March 2010, Winchester-Stanton and a group of friends were thrown into a prison in Papua New Guinea after being arrested on Bougainville on drug charges.
PNG police, armed with assault rifles, had stormed a yacht the group was sailing on during a surfing trip after receiving a tip that 500 grams of cannabis was on board.
Nicknamed the ‘Perenti Five’ after the yacht’s name, the men spent a weekend in a cramped Buka prison cell alongside murderers and rapists before being released on bail.
All five men were eventually found not guilty and returned to Australia after more than a month of uncertainty.
In December 2020, detectives from the North Coast Region Enforcement Squad established Strike Force Kelly to investigate the large supply of drugs in the Byron Bay-Mullumbimby areas.
Strike Force Kelly agents seized 340 grams of cocaine and $25,000 in cash (above) after searching four homes in Byron Bay and surrounding towns in April 2021
Investigators identified seven men, including Winchester-Stanton and Bodene Lee Robertson, as part of a criminal group responsible for the continued supply of cocaine.
On New Year’s Day 2021, Northern Region Commander Assistant Commissioner Max Mitchell authorized a controlled operation allowing detectives to covertly target Winchester-Stanton and others.
According to the facts, the group used an encrypted mobile phone app to find and deliver the drugs.
Police used telephone interceptions, physical and electronic surveillance, and “controlled activities,” which included selling drugs to an undercover officer.
“Detectives monitored meetings where they alleged that the defendants and associates were selling cocaine for large amounts of Australian currency,” the statement of facts read.
Following the arrests of Robertson and Winchester-Stanton (above) in April 2021, Detective Acting Superintendent Greg Thomas vowed to continue disrupting the cocaine supply chain in the Byron Bay region
During the investigation, Winchester-Stanton supplied 476 grams of cocaine and “provided or possessed” cocaine with an estimated street value of $236,950.
Robertson pleaded guilty to supplying a commercial quantity of cocaine and was sentenced in May last year to a maximum of six years in prison with a non-parole period of three years and six months.
Following the arrests of Robertson and Winchester-Stanton, Detective Acting Superintendent Greg Thomas vowed to continue disrupting the cocaine supply chain in the popular holiday region.
“The Far North Coast is becoming increasingly popular with domestic tourists, and it is our job to ensure that locals and visitors feel safe in our holiday towns,” he said.
A reboot from last year showed Heartbreak High was a worldwide hit and a second series has been commissioned by Netflix.
During the investigation, Winchester-Stanton supplied 476 grams of cocaine and “provided or possessed” cocaine with an estimated street value of $236,950