Earlier this year he was tried on the importing cocaine charge in the High Court at Auckland, the jury unable to reach a verdict.
However, he was found not guilty by a jury in a second trial at the High Court yesterday.
"He's massively relieved," his lawyer, Chris Wilkinson-Smith, told the Chronicle.
"He was having to think about the possibility he would be serving a very lengthy prison sentence. (Now he can) carry on and be a father," Mr Wilkinson-Smith said.
"It's life changing."
Mr Wilkinson-Smith said Mr Leaitua left Wanganui when he was about 20 and his family had since spread around the globe.
He said Mr Leaitua had trained as a butcher in Wanganui and also had a stint playing rugby for King Country before taking up kickboxing in Colombia.
Mr Wilkinson-Smith said the defence argued Ms Vega was an independent woman and was capable of importing the drug without Mr Leaitua's help.
He said the 43-year-old was now looking forward to spending time with his three sons and getting back to an ordinary life.