A Sydney man accused of stealing 42,000 rapid antigen tests (RATs) from a warehouse has been granted bail with strict conditions.
NSW Police said another three men were arrested during a raid on a Rosebery storage facility about 4pm on Wednesday, about 24 hours after the tests were taken from a Mascot depot.
Zeshi Wu appeared via video link at Central Local Court on Thursday.
The 28-year-old is a family man, the court heard, with a wife and two children.
His lawyer told the court the man was a low risk to the community.
Magistrate Alison Viney granted bail, noting that although the man was not a citizen, he had lived in Australia for seven years and had a family and mortgage.
She said the theft needed to be treated as a "serious matter".
"They are items which are highly prized medical detection devices used to assist people," she said.
"They are items clearly sought by every member of the community and any theft of those is to be treated as a serious matter given the circumstances."
The man was granted bail with a surety of $50,000 and must report to police three times a week.
The matter will return to Downing Centre court on February 7.
Outside of court, Mr Wu said that he was "innocent".
The stolen tests are believed to be worth about half a million dollars, with wholesale costs ranging from between $3.95 and $11.45 a test.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mr Perrottet condemned the alleged robbery and promised the police would catch those responsible.
Detectives searched two storage units at Rosebery and seized a number of items, including the tests and KN95 face masks.
The tests had been taken from a freight depot at Hale Street in Botany on Tuesday.
NSW Police said the other arrested men were later released "pending further inquiries".
Mr Perrottet said 150 million rapid antigen tests had been ordered for NSW.
"We see those tests playing a role in all our front-line work," he said.
