Jacksonville Drug Trafficking Organization Members Sentenced in Interstate Drive-By Shooting on I-95

Three members of a Jacksonville-based drug trafficking organization (DTO) have been sentenced in federal court following a violent retaliatory shooting on Interstate 95 that prosecutors described as an attempted execution tied to a failed marijuana transaction.

U.S. District Judge Harvey Schlesinger sentenced James Toney, 20, of Jacksonville, to 16 years in federal prison after he was convicted of conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute marijuana, committing a drive-by shooting in furtherance of a major drug offense, and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence. His co-defendants, Javon Davis, 27, and Christian Guyton, 23, were sentenced to seven years and eight years and four months in federal prison, respectively, for their roles in the drug conspiracy.

According to court records and sentencing findings, the three men operated as armed distributors within a larger criminal network led by Nathaniel Hatcher III. Federal investigators determined that Hatcher’s organization trafficked bulk quantities of marijuana from Northern California into Jacksonville using multiple smuggling methods, including commercial airline transport, parcel shipping through the mail, and vehicle transport across state lines. Once in Florida, the drugs were stored in short-term rental properties, where members packaged and distributed the product while maintaining firearms on site to protect narcotics and proceeds.

Prosecutors presented evidence that violence was a functional arm of the organization’s operations. In addition to trafficking, Toney was identified as a participant in retaliatory enforcement activity on behalf of the DTO. The investigation also revealed that Desmond Maxwell, a former correctional officer, assisted the organization by unlawfully purchasing firearms for DTO members.

The violence that ultimately led to federal prosecution stemmed from a failed bulk marijuana transaction on September 18, 2023. During a meeting at a Jacksonville gas station, individuals allegedly stole approximately $45,000 from Hatcher and Toney without delivering the promised marijuana. Rather than report the theft, members of the DTO initiated a coordinated retaliation effort.

Court filings state that Hatcher contacted a former law enforcement officer who illegally accessed official databases to identify the names and addresses of the individuals involved in the robbery. Over the following weeks, members of the DTO tracked and surveilled the targets, exchanged text messages planning retaliation, and conducted what prosecutors described as cyber-stalking of both the individuals and their family members.

On October 15, 2023, two vehicles were stolen from a rental lot at Jacksonville International Airport. Federal authorities later tied those vehicles to the planned retaliation.

Two days later, on October 17, 2023, the targeted individual attended an unrelated court proceeding at the Duval County courthouse. Members of the DTO monitored his movements as he exited the courthouse with a female companion and entered his vehicle. According to trial evidence, multiple DTO members coordinated pursuit vehicles, including a stolen sedan and an SUV.

As the convoy traveled southbound on I-95 toward St. Johns County, the vehicles boxed in the target’s sedan along the left lane of traffic. Prosecutors stated that dozens of rounds of 7.62 caliber ammunition were fired into the victim’s vehicle. Ballistics analysis later confirmed that at least two separate firearms were used during the attack.

The male victim sustained a gunshot wound but survived after being airlifted to a trauma center. The female passenger suffered injuries from shattered glass. Deputies recovered approximately 25 spent shell casings at the scene. The victim’s vehicle was struck along multiple panels, including the engine compartment and windshield, underscoring the lethal potential of the assault.

Following the shooting, the involved vehicles fled the scene. The subsequent federal investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, ATF, the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and multiple Florida law enforcement agencies. Prosecutors tied the shooting directly to the DTO’s internal enforcement structure and retaliatory planning.

Nathaniel Hatcher III, identified as the organization’s leader, previously received a 35-year federal prison sentence. Other co-conspirators received sentences ranging from six to fourteen years. Additional participants have pleaded guilty and face significant federal penalties.

Federal authorities brought the case as part of Operation Take Back America, an initiative combining Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) and Project Safe Neighborhoods resources to target violent criminal organizations operating across state lines.

The sentencing marks the conclusion of one of the Middle District of Florida’s most significant recent prosecutions involving coordinated drug trafficking and retaliatory interstate violence. Federal prosecutors emphasized that trafficking networks that integrate firearms, stolen vehicles, database misuse, and targeted retaliation present a layered threat extending beyond narcotics distribution into organized violent crime.

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