diff --git a/internal/rbd/controllerserver.go b/internal/rbd/controllerserver.go
index f0ac0a479..1745dbc37 100644
--- a/internal/rbd/controllerserver.go
+++ b/internal/rbd/controllerserver.go
@@ -881,9 +881,9 @@ func (cs *ControllerServer) checkErrAndUndoReserve(
 	}
 
 	if errors.Is(err, ErrImageNotFound) {
-		err = rbdVol.ensureImageCleanup(ctx)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, status.Error(codes.Internal, err.Error())
+		notFoundErr := rbdVol.ensureImageCleanup(ctx)
+		if notFoundErr != nil {
+			return nil, status.Errorf(codes.Internal, "failed to cleanup image %q: %v", rbdVol, notFoundErr)
 		}
 	} else {
 		// All errors other than ErrImageNotFound should return an error back to the caller
@@ -1538,11 +1538,6 @@ func cleanUpImageAndSnapReservation(ctx context.Context, rbdSnap *rbdSnapshot, c
 	}
 	defer rbdVol.Destroy(ctx)
 
-	err = rbdVol.openIoctx()
-	if err != nil {
-		return status.Error(codes.Internal, err.Error())
-	}
-
 	// cleanup the image from trash if the error is image not found.
 	err = rbdVol.ensureImageCleanup(ctx)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/internal/rbd/rbd_util.go b/internal/rbd/rbd_util.go
index 3b07d235d..3b72b7c4c 100644
--- a/internal/rbd/rbd_util.go
+++ b/internal/rbd/rbd_util.go
@@ -621,6 +621,11 @@ func isCephMgrSupported(ctx context.Context, clusterID string, err error) bool {
 // ensureImageCleanup finds image in trash and if found removes it
 // from trash.
 func (ri *rbdImage) ensureImageCleanup(ctx context.Context) error {
+	err := ri.openIoctx()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
 	trashInfoList, err := librbd.GetTrashList(ri.ioctx)
 	if err != nil {
 		log.ErrorLog(ctx, "failed to list images in trash: %v", err)