Bartosz Janiszewski was one of three crewmen who cycled away from the Queen of Scandinavia at North Shields

Bartosz Janiszewski was one of three crewmen who cycled away from the Queen of Scandinavia at North Shields, each carrying a rucksack containing the drug.All three ran away after refusing to allow their bags to be searched when they were stopped at a portside barrier by customs officials.Mr Janiszewski managed to make his way back to Poland despite having no wallet or passport, but later contacted the legal authorities in his homeland to be interviewed.The 28-year-old, who was later extradited, told Newcastle Crown Court he had agreed to take the rucksack into the country on behalf of someone else, believing it contained cigarettes. He denied a charge of being knowingly concerned in the illegal importation of a class A drug and wept as he was cleared yesterday after a three-day trial.His two co-accused were both acquitted of the same charge after a trial in Newcastle in 2007.One of them had been detained after dropping his rucksack into the river. The second fled towards a housing estate after shrugging off his rucksack, but was arrested as he made his way back to the port.The court heard each of the rucksacks contained five kilos of cocaine with a combined value of £1.8m.Mr Janiszewski, a steward on board the ferry, had spent several months on remand in a British prison awaiting trial. His acquittal means he will now return to Poland, his Manchester-based solicitor Rob Gillooley said.“Mr Janiszewski co-operated fully with the Polish authorities in respect of these matters,” he said. “It was he who approached them.“The result of the trial – which we feel is the right and proper result – is a testament to his co-operation and the preparation of the case.“Mr Janiszewski has found the whole proceedings rather stressful and is relieved that the proceedings have concluded and concluded to a satisfactory end.”