JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Nathaniel Hatcher III, 30, of Jacksonville, was sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for leading a drug trafficking organization that distributed marijuana, laundered millions of dollars and carried out a brazen drive-by shooting on I-95 in 2023, federal prosecutors said.
U.S. District Judge Harvey Schlesinger also ordered forfeiture of $2.2 million, the proceeds of the conspiracy. Hatcher pleaded guilty in September 2025, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
According to court documents, Hatcher ran a Jacksonville-based drug trafficking organization that for eight years moved bulk quantities of marijuana from Northern California to Jacksonville.
Members smuggled the drug on commercial airlines, shipped it through the U.S. mail and transported it by vehicle across state lines. Once in Jacksonville, they stored, packaged and sold marijuana from short-term rental homes, and kept firearms at those locations to protect drugs and drug proceeds, prosecutors said.
Nathaniel Hatcher, 30 lying on atop bags of marijuana. (Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)
Prosecutors said Hatcher arranged unlawful firearm purchases with the help of a former corrections officer, Desmond Maxwell, and used Yaquasia Delcarmen to collect and launder proceeds. The pair and others used sham business accounts to funnel more than $2 million back into bank accounts controlled by Hatcher, spending the money on what authorities described as a lavish lifestyle.
While reviewing Nathaniel Hatcher’s iCloud extraction, investigators said they found this photograph of Yaquasia DelCarmen dated Sept. 13, 2023. The photograph appears to show DelCarmen counting suspected drug proceeds with bulk marijuana and a firearm on the table. (Copyright 2024 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.)
Court records detail a Sept. 18, 2023, meeting in Jacksonville in which Hatcher, James Toney and others arranged a bulk marijuana transaction that failed. The other participants allegedly stole about $45,000 in cash from Hatcher and Toney.
Afterward, Hatcher obtained the names and addresses of the suspects through a former police officer who illegally accessed law enforcement databases, the filings say. For nearly a month, Hatcher and others tracked, surveilled and cyber-stalked the suspects and their family members and discussed retaliation in text messages.
Prosecutors say that on Oct. 15, 2023, Briyhon Johnson and Toney stole two cars from a rental lot at Jacksonville International Airport; one of the stolen vehicles was later used in the planned retaliation. On Oct. 17, after identifying one of the alleged thieves at a Duval County courthouse, Hatcher and other DTO members followed the man as he left and opened fire on his Mercedes on I-95, authorities said.
During the pursuit, a red Dodge Charger and a gray Audi SUV boxed the Mercedes into the left lane, and Toney and Hatcher fired dozens of rounds of 7.62-caliber ammunition into the vehicle, according to witness statements and ballistics analysis.
Deputies recovered about 25 spent shell casings, and ballistics testing indicated two different firearms were used. The male driver was shot once and airlifted to a trauma unit; a female passenger suffered injuries from broken glass. Both survived.
After Hatcher’s arrest in February 2024, authorities say Delcarmen continued trafficking at Hatcher’s direction and that Hatcher attempted to tamper with witnesses and co-conspirators by directing them to flee, lie to law enforcement and destroy evidence.
“Hatcher and his drug crew planned and executed a brazen drive-by shooting in broad daylight on I-95, putting dozens of law-abiding Americans in danger of losing their lives,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said. “Now, he will spend decades in federal prison where he can no longer terrorize the Jacksonville community thanks to the combined efforts of federal, state and local law enforcement partners who investigated and prosecuted this case.”
U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe praised the investigation and prosecution and said authorities will continue using their resources to protect communities from violence and harm. Tim Hemker, assistant special agent in charge of HSI Jacksonville, said the dismantling of the organization will have a lasting impact on community safety. Ron Loecker, special agent in charge of IRS Criminal Investigation’s Florida field office, said the sentence sends a message that those who profit from drugs will be pursued across jurisdictions.
Copyright 2026 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.