diff --git a/kong/clustering/services/sync/rpc.lua b/kong/clustering/services/sync/rpc.lua
index 6c13aaa0d71a..4550bf6e5200 100644
--- a/kong/clustering/services/sync/rpc.lua
+++ b/kong/clustering/services/sync/rpc.lua
@@ -235,18 +235,15 @@ function _M:sync_once(delay)
           local delta_type = delta.type
           local delta_row = delta.row
 
-          local crud_event_type
-          local old_entity
-
           if delta_row ~= ngx_null then
             -- upsert the entity
             -- does the entity already exists?
-            old_entity, err = db[delta_type]:select(delta_row)
+            local old_entity, err = db[delta_type]:select(delta_row)
             if err then
               return nil, err
             end
 
-            crud_event_type = "create"
+            local crud_event_type = "create"
 
             if old_entity then
               local res, err = delete_entity_for_txn(t, delta_type, old_entity, nil)
@@ -262,12 +259,12 @@ function _M:sync_once(delay)
               return nil, err
             end
 
+            crud_events_n = crud_events_n + 1
+            crud_events[crud_events_n] = { delta_type, crud_event_type, delta_row, old_entity, }
+
           else
             -- delete the entity
-            crud_event_type = "delete"
-            delta_row = nil
-
-            old_entity, err = kong.db[delta_type]:select({ id = delta.id, }) -- TODO: composite key
+            local old_entity, err = kong.db[delta_type]:select({ id = delta.id, }) -- TODO: composite key
             if err then
               return nil, err
             end
@@ -279,11 +276,10 @@ function _M:sync_once(delay)
               end
             end
 
+            crud_events_n = crud_events_n + 1
+            crud_events[crud_events_n] = { delta_type, "delete", old_entity, }
           end
 
-          crud_events_n = crud_events_n + 1
-          crud_events[crud_events_n] = { delta_type, crud_event_type, delta_row, old_entity, }
-
           -- XXX TODO: could delta.version be nil or ngx.null
           if type(delta.version) == "number" and delta.version ~= version then
             version = delta.version