JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A "major drug trafficking organization" has been dismantled as federal, state and local law enforcement agencies announced federal charges for multiple members in a press conference held in Duval County Wednesday morning.
U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg said the investigation into the organization started after a drive-by shooting happened on Interstate-95 in St. Johns County on Oct. 17, 2023.
"As part of its efforts to identify the perpetrators, the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office released a video from a dash camera of a semi-truck that was on the highway at that time," Handberg said. "The video showed a white Mercedes being driven in the left southbound lane as another car pulled alongside it with four masked men."
The masked men fired shots into the Mercedes, "exploding" the back window and injuring both people inside, according to Handberg. Police told First Coast News at the time that the driver was hit by gunfire, while a female passenger was injured by glass that broke.
The Mercedes then crashed into the center guard rail on the interstate, police said. St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick said that almost two dozen shell casings were recovered from the scene, belonging to a "7.62 AK-47-type round."
Handberg said a federal grand jury in Jacksonville returned an indictment last week charging Nathaniel Thomas Hatcher III, 28, and James Toney, 20, for their role in the drive-by shooting.
The U.S. attorney said Hatcher is accused of leading the drug trafficking organization that "was suspected of transporting large quantities of marijuana, distributing it into these communities and laundering the proceeds."
"A review of bank statements associated with members of the drug trafficking organization resulted in the identification of large amounts of firearms purchases at federally licensed firearms dealers in Northeast Florida," Handberg said. "Further investigation revealed a pattern of straw purchases in trafficking of firearms."
A straw purchase is when someone purchases a firearm for someone else who is prohibited by law from possessing one or for someone who does not want their name associated with the transaction; it is a federal crime.
Desmond Lee Maxwell, 28, made several straw purchases for firearms for Hatcher, according to investigators. The purchases were made on three separate occasions at two different firearms dealers for a total of five firearms, Handberg said in the press conference.
"The pattern was similar for each transaction," Handberg said. "Maxwell purchased the firearms, certifying that he was the actual buyer of it ... that was a lie. Each firearm was paid for by Hatcher, and a review of text messages between them, show that Maxwell was purchasing the firearms for Hatcher and delivering them to him."
In January, Maxwell attempted to straw purchase two additional firearms for Hatcher, according to the Department of Justice. The purchase was denied by the National Criminal Background Check System, Handberg said.
In February, Maxwell and Hatcher were arrested for their conspiracy to make straw purchases of firearms, Handberg announced; both of them were charged in federal court, as Maxwell has pleaded guilty.
"In his plea agreement, Maxwell has admitted his participation in the conspiracy and he admitted that he knew and had reason to believe that the firearms he was straw purchasing for Hatcher, were being used to protect drug stash houses and dealers during drug sales," Handberg said. "This is nothing new."
Handberg continued to say in the press conference that Maxwell was an "active participant" in the drug trafficking organization, as he allegedly traveled on commercial flights to transport cash and marijuana and collected proceeds owed to the organization.
Hatcher is charged in a separate federal indictment on five counts including conspiracy to make straw purchases of firearms and aiding & abetting in the making of false statements in connection with firearm purchases "for his role in the straw purchases," according to Handberg.
"With Hatcher in jail, pending trial, he turned to [Yaquasia] DelCarmen [Hatcher's girlfriend] to take over a leadership role in the drug trafficking organization," Handberg said. "This was nothing new for DelCarmen. For over a year, DelCarmen had been an active participant in the organization by transporting marijuana on commercial flights from California to Jacksonville, and by supervising the collection and laundering of drug proceeds."
Investigators also accuse Hatcher of enlisting DelCarmen's assistance in attempting to "obstruct that investigation that was being built and was continuing to be built by the investigators against him." Furthermore, they allege Hatcher directed DelCarmen to post a message on social media to intimidate a witness and others from cooperating against him, Handberg said.
Shortly after the post was discovered, Handberg said DelCarmen was arrested in April, charged in a federal criminal complaint with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute marijuana and conspiracy to intimidate witnesses.
"Hatcher also was charged with drug trafficking and witness intimidation violation as well in a superseding indictment that was returned in May of this year," Handberg said.
In June, DelCarmen pleaded guilty to charges.
Last month, Handberg said a federal grand jury returned a third indictment against Hatcher.
"This time, the indictment added two members of his [Hatcher's] drug trafficking conspiracy: James Toney and Al'Donta Easterling," Handberg said. "As alleged in that indictment and summarized in other court records, those defendants and other conspirators are alleged to have been a part of a major drug trafficking organization that operated in Jacksonville for over a year and a half. Members were directed to fly drugs in from California, usually Sacramento, to here in Jacksonville. Once in Jacksonville, the organization rented residences and short-term rentals and that's where they used as drug stash houses from which they distributed drugs."
If convicted, Hatcher faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 20 years up to life in prison, Toney faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 15 years up to life in prison and Easterling faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years up to life, according to Handberg. The trial for the three is set to begin on Nov. 4.
Handberg added that in the case, investigators have seized nine firearms including a machine gun, 107 kilograms of marijuana, 78 grams of MDMA, 28 grams of fentanyl and 19 grams of methamphetamine, and six people have been federally charged.
Handberg was joined by Timothy Hemker with Homeland Security Investigations, Kirk Howard with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Ron Loecker with the IRS and Hardwick during the press conference.
