DOJ: Head of Jacksonville drug organization sentenced to 35 years for I-95 drive-by shooting

The Department of Justice announced that, on top of the man’s prison sentence, he will be ordered to forfeit $2.2 million.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Jacksonville man has been sentenced to 35 years in federal prison for leading a drug trafficking organization in the city for nearly a decade, as well as his role in a drive-by shooting on I-95 in 2023.

In addition to his sentencing, the man, Nathaniel Hatcher III, 30, was ordered to forfeit $2.2 million, which is the estimated proceeds made in the drug trafficking conspiracy.

According to Department of Justice court documents, Hatcher “operated and led” a drug trafficking operation (DTO) for eight years. The DTO is said to have trafficked “bulk amounts” of marijuana from Northern California to Jacksonville. The DOJ said Hatcher was responsible for committing violent acts on behalf of the DTO, with alleged assistance from a former Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office corrections officer. It is also alleged that Hatcher and members of the DTO would “use sham business accounts that were formed for the purpose of laundering illicit proceeds.”

On October 17, 2023, Hatcher and members of his DTO were said to have been at the Duval County Courthouse while a member was there for court on unrelated charges.

While at the courthouse, the DOJ said that a person who allegedly stole nearly $45,000 from the DTO was spotted. After the court session ended and the subject left, Hatcher and the DTO followed him out.

After locating the subject’s vehicle on I-95 South in St. Johns County, Hatcher and fellow DTO members boxed in the subject’s car and opened fire. The subject was reportedly shot once, while a female passenger was injured by broken glass.

In February 2024, Hatcher was arrested for a conspiracy to make straw purchases of firearms. After his arrest, the DOJ said Hatcher “tampered with multiple witnesses and co-conspirators, directing them to flee from, or lie to, law enforcement.”

Hatcher is charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute marijuana, conspiracy to commit money laundering, committing a drive-by shooting in furtherance of a major drug offense, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence.

“The judge delivered a punishment that matches the danger this defendant posed to communities,” says Ron Loecker, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation, Florida Field Office. “The message is simple: profit from poison, and you pay for it. IRS CI and our partners will follow the money across jurisdictions to shut down traffickers and every coconspirator who launders their profits.”

The DOJ provided the following statuses of Hatcher’s DTO members who have also been arrested:

Tavarius Blue – Sentenced to 12 years in federal prison.Yaquasia DelCarmen – Sentenced to 8 years in federal prison.Al’Donta Easterling – Sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.Darion Jerido – Sentenced to 6 years, 6 months in federal prison.Briyhon Johnson – Sentenced to 14 years, 3 months federal prison.Javon Davis – Pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana; faces a minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison.Christian Guyton – Pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana; faces a minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison.Desmond Maxwell – Pled guilty to straw-purchasing firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; faces up to 25 years in federal prison.Jahson Hatcher – Pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana; faces a minimum penalty of 5 years, up to 40 years, in federal prison.James Toney – Pled guilty to conspiracy to distribute and possess with the intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, committing a drive-by shooting in furtherance of a major drug offense, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; faces a minimum penalty of 15 years, up to life, in federal prison.