2 charged in drug-related shooting on I-95

Two Jacksonville men suspected of running a major drug trafficking operation between California and Jacksonville have been charged in connection with a drive-by shooting on Interstate 95 that left two people injured.

In addition to the weapons offenses, 28-year-old Nathaniel Thomas Hatcher III is accused of conspiracy to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana, conspiracy to commit money laundering, witness tampering and numerous weapons offenses, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

James Toney, 20, is accused of conspiracy to traffic marijuana and is also charged with weapons possession, prosecutors said.

Hatcher and Toney were two of four masked men in a car that was shot at as both were traveling south on I-95 in St. Johns County last October, said Roger Handberg, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida.

“I think it will have a significant impact in reducing the availability of California-sourced marijuana in this community,” Handberg said. “But I don't want to lose sight of the violence that this group was involved in. I think this will have a positive impact in reducing the violence of this drug trafficking organization.”

“The fact that at some point on southbound I-95 there was a shootout between members of this drug trafficking organization shows the threat they pose to public safety.”

The U.S. Attorney's Office released information about the charges at a press conference Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Jacksonville. Accompanied 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 the arrest of several individuals, including Hatcher and Toney.

The shooting on I-95 was captured on a nearby trucker's dashcam. It showed a Dodge Charger pulling up next to a Mercedes-Benz before someone in the Dodge leaned out the back window and fired. The Mercedes crashed into the median barrier. One person in the vehicle was shot and the other was injured by flying glass.

Hatcher said the investigation initially focused on a marijuana trafficking operation from California to Jacksonville that Hatcher was running and the laundering of the proceeds. But a review of bank statements revealed that guns were being purchased in “large quantities.” Investigators seized nine guns, 107 kilos of marijuana, as well as fentanyl and other drugs during the arrests, Handberg said.

If convicted on all counts, Hatcher faces up to two life sentences, while Toney faces 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 conspiracy to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to commit money laundering, prosecutors said. She faces up to 40 years in a federal prison.

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