Henley Named in Narcotics Indictment : Jurisprudence: Federal grand jury identifies the Ram cornerback and a former cheerleader as being part of an illegal drug network.

A federal grand jury indicted Ram cornerback Darryl Henley and former team cheerleader Tracy Donaho Thursday on charges of cocaine possession and conspiring to operate an illicit drug network that involved cross-country narcotics shipments.

The indictment identifies Henley, Donaho and three others as participants in a conspiracy to transfer two shipments of cocaine this summer from Henley’s home in Brea to drop-off points in Atlanta and Memphis, using the 20-year-old Donaho as a courier.

A warrant for Henley’s arrest was issued Thursday, and Carl E. Douglas, his attorney, said Henley would surrender before his arraignment on Monday in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana. Douglas said he had not seen the indictment late Thursday and could not comment on the case.

Donaho was also expected to surrender before Monday’s arraignment. Her attorney did not return several calls.

The federal grand jury also indicted Rafael (Ralph) Bustamante, 28, identified as the supplier of “multikilogram quantities of cocaine” to Henley. Also charged were Willie Haghey McGowan, 30, of Duarte, Calif., accused of packaging the drugs in suitcases for Donaho, and Gary West, 30, of Memphis, who allegedly picked up the cocaine in Tennessee.

A federal judge issued a warrant for McGowan’s arrest Thursday. West is in a Memphis jail on an unrelated charge, and Bustamante had already been arrested on related extortion charges.

In October, Bustamante and two others were indicted for extortion for threatening to kill Henley if he did not pay $360,000 that Bustamante claimed he was owed for a cocaine delivery.

The grand jury re-indicted Bustamante, Alejandro Figueroa Cuevas and James Timothy Saenz on those extortion charges Thursday, so that all defendants could be tried together. Their trial is scheduled to begin Tuesday.

Court records indicate that Bustamante, Cuevas and a friend of Henley’s known as Eric Manning confronted Henley at gunpoint in September at the Rams’ practice facility in Anaheim and demanded payment for a cocaine shipment.

Henley later reported to police that the men stole his white 1992 Lexus 400 SE, as well as a Glock 9-millimeter semiautomatic handgun Henley kept in the car, after the confrontation. Some hours later, Manning was shot to death outside his Covina apartment, and 9-millimeter shell casings were found near his body. Neither Bustamante, Cuevas nor Henley has been connected to the murder.

In Thursday’s indictment, Henley and Donaho were both charged with one count of conspiracy and one count of intent to distribute cocaine. They face possible life sentences and $8 million in fines if convicted on both counts. The extortion charges lodged against the other three carry maximum prison terms of 20 years and fines as high as $250,000.

“The indictment alleges that this was a sophisticated drug trafficking ring that extended from Southern California to . . . Tennessee and Georgia,” said Asst. U.S. Atty. Deirdre Z. Eliot. “Darryl Henley allegedly played an integral role.”

Henley, earning $275,000 this season, was a starting cornerback until he left the team on paid leave in October, following disclosure that he was the target of a criminal investigation. Through statements issued by his former attorneys, Henley has maintained his innocence.

Team officials declined comment in a prepared statement Thursday. An NFL spokesman said the league had been notified, but would have nothing to say.

Federal authorities began investigating Henley in July, after Donaho attracted the attention of federal narcotics investigators by paying cash for a one-way ticket from Ontario to Atlanta on a predawn flight. Such purchases are a tip-off that a passenger may be carrying drugs, officials say.

Drug Enforcement Administration agents were waiting to question Donaho when she landed in Atlanta. She disavowed ownership of a suitcase she had checked with the airline and was permitted to leave the airport. DEA agents got a search warrant and found 12 kilograms, or 26.4 pounds, of cocaine inside the suitcase.

Later that day, Donaho tried to claim the bag and was arrested. Henley, who has a home in Atlanta, was with her at the time, but was not arrested because his possible connections were not known.

Federal charges against Donaho were dropped four days after her arrest, but authorities retained the right to file charges against her.

According to court documents, Donaho told federal agents that Henley had approached her earlier in the year with an offer to make money by transporting cash in suitcases for McGowan. The indictment alleges that Henley asked Donaho to meet McGowan at Henley’s home in Brea on July 2 and carry a suitcase on a flight from Burbank to Memphis.

In Memphis, West allegedly met Donaho and later picked up the suitcase. The indictment alleges that Henley paid Donaho $1,000 for delivering the suitcase.

Staff writer Mike Reilley contributed to this story.