WOODFIN, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Anastacio Robert Molina, 49, pled guilty to attempted trafficking in fentanyl earlier this week after he was arrested in April 2026.

Molina submitted his plea on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026, and was sentenced to 70 to 96 months in a North Carolina correctional institution for the Class D felony.

Molina was originally arrested on April 16, 2026, after Woodfin Police Department officers stopped a truck in which he was a passenger. Molina attempted to flee on foot, but was apprehended a short distance away, where a search revealed he was in possession of 14 grams of fentanyl.

“The prosecution was handled under North Carolina General Statutes governing controlled substances,” the Buncombe County DA’s Office said. “Under N.C. Gen. Stat. § 90-95(h)(4c), the North Carolina General Assembly recently significantly increased criminal penalties for offenses involving fentanyl, elevating the statutory severity and mandatory active punishment ranges for trafficking and attempted trafficking in Schedule I controlled substances to address the public safety crisis driven by synthetic opioids.”