A 23-year-old California woman has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute more than 100 kilograms of marijuana discovered in a rental van during a traffic stop in southwestern Montana in June.
    
The U.S. Attorney's Office says Xiao Meng Ma of Anaheim pleaded guilty Monday during a hearing before U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen in Missoula. She faces a mandatory minimum of five years in prison when she is sentenced on March 15. She is currently detained.
    
Prosecutors allege Ma and a co-defendant were stopped for speeding through a construction zone near Bozeman on June 16. Court records say officers smelled marijuana as they approached the van. A search turned up six duffel bags containing 253 pounds of marijuana.