2 indicted in drug-related shooting on I-95

Two Jacksonville men suspected of running a large drug operation between California and Jacksonville have been indicted in a drive-by shooting on Interstate 95 that injured two people.

Along with the gun charges, Nathaniel Thomas Hatcher III, 28, faces charges of conspiracy to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, as well as conspiring to commit money laundering, witness tampering and numerous weapons charges, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

James Toney, 20, faces a charge of conspiring to distribute marijuana along with gun charges, prosecutors said.

Hatcher and Toney were two of four masked men inside a car where someone fired at a Mercedes-Benz as both were headed south last October on I-95 in St. Johns County, said Roger Handberg, U.S. attorney for the Middle District of Florida.

“I think it’s going to be a substantial impact in terms of reducing the availability of that supply of marijuana from California into this community,” Handberg said. “But I don’t want to lose sight of the violence that this group was engaged in. I think this is going to have a positive impact in terms of reducing violence that this drug trafficking organization was doing.

“The fact that we had a gun battle on I-95 going southbound at some point by members of this drug trafficking organization shows the threat to public safety they possess.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office released information about the indictments at a news conference Wednesday at U.S. District Court in Jacksonville. Flanked by officials from state, federal and local law enforcement agencies, Handberg detailed the six-month investigation into the drug trafficking conspiracy that ended last month with arrests of multiple people, including Hatcher and Toney.

The shooting on I-95 was caught on a nearby trucker’s dashcam . It showed a Dodge Charger pull up next to a Mercedes-Benz before someone in the Dodge leaned out a back window and fired. The Mercedes crashed into the center guardrail. One person inside was shot and the other injured by flying glass.

Hatcher said the investigation initially looked at a California-to-Jacksonville marijuana trafficking led by Hatcher and money laundering of the proceeds. But a review of bank statements identified a “large amount” of gun purchases. Investigators seized nine weapons, 107 kilos of marijuana, plus fentanyl and other drugs along with the arrests, Handberg said.

If convicted on all counts, Hatcher faces up to two life sentences, while Toney faces up to life imprisonment, prosecutors said.

Another suspect is Hatcher’s girlfriend, 28-year-old Yaquasia DelCarmen, who transported marijuana on commercial flights from California to Jacksonville and also laundered funds, Handberg said. She has pleaded guilty to conspiring to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to commit money laundering, prosecutors said. She faces up to 40 years in federal prison.

The indictment also charged 26-year-old Al’Donta Easterling of Jacksonville with conspiring to distribute marijuana, possession of a controlled substance and possession of a firearm.

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