One of three men missing from Salt Lake City was drug dealer, according to court documents

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A drug dealer named Danny Kiko Gallegos had been cooperating with federal agents before he and two others turned up missing and his white Chevy Tahoe found abandoned with a large amount of blood and a dog inside, according to a case unsealed Monday in federal court.

Gallegos had been under investigation by federal law officers and started cooperating last summer, says the criminal complaint that charges a Gallegos' acquaintance with helping him conceal ownership of a yellow Lamborghini bought with drug trafficking proceeds.

Gallegos, 35, and two other men were last seen on Oct. 31 in the Tahoe, which was found abandoned the next day on Salt Lake City's west side.

Also missing are Braden Parker Emerson, 23, and Levi Joseph Collins, 34.

Officers found a quarter pound of methamphetamine inside the console of the Tahoe, which had blood in the driver's seat and the driver's side of the rear seat, according to a complaint signed by IRS Criminal Investigation Agent Chad Cutting.

The complaint charges a jeweler named Justin Christopher with money laundering and conspiracy to launder money for allegedly helping Gallegos conceal his ownership of the Lamborghini, which was allegedly purchased with Gallegos' drug trafficking profits.

Christopher is a friend of Gallegos who owns a jewelry shop in Salt Lake City and who told agents he knew Gallegos was a drug dealer, the complaint says.

The Lamborghini was purchased from Ararat Auto, whose owner told agents that Gallegos bought the car for $102,155.55, including taxes and fees but had Christopher's name placed on the title.

Gallegos used other people's names as owners of large assets "in an attempt to thwart law enforcement from identifying and seizing Gallegos' assets," Gallegos' fiancé told agents, according to the complaint.

Christopher told a police detective that Gallegos usually parked the car at a storage unit under Christopher's name on North Beck Street and met the officer there to inspect the unit.

"The roller door was opened by Christopher, and the unit was empty," the complaint says.

tharvey@sltrib.com Twitter: tomharveysltrib